Every Flower Has Its Thorns
by Moofeen
Summary: After defeating the Chimera ants, 15 year olds Gon and Killua continue their search for Ging. During their journey they meet Kaeko Sepheru, a young girl with a bounty on her head and an unusual history behind her. She's searching for someone too, so perhaps joining the two boys isn't such a bad idea. Killua x OC. Read and review.
1. The Beginning

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::The Beginning::.**

It was dark.

The sky had turned black, illuminated only by the moon shining above. The wind whistled against the trees of the forest, scattering fallen leaves into the wind.

A tiny female figure sat alone, huddled by the base of a tree. She shivered from the chill the wind brought and hugged her knees against her chest. She breathed out slowly, staring at the cloud of breath made against the cold.

Her name was Kaeko Sepheru, and she was completely and utterly alone.

A low, grumbling noise made its way to Kaeko's ears. It was her stomach, begging to be fed. She sighed softly to herself and clutched her belly, as if trying to soothe it from its hunger. She knew the next day she would need to find food or else she'd collapse from the hunger. But for now, she was much too tired – she needed to rest. She tilted her head up to face the moon and admire its beauty as her eyelids began to droop.

_Why? Why did it turn out this way?_ She thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep. _Why?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>CAW! CAW! CAW!<strong>_

Kaeko was jolted awake the next morning by the sounds of startled, squawking birds, which only meant one thing – she had company.

She jumped onto her feet hastily, brushing her black hair out of her face. Her heart began to race, she knew she needed to run. She took one last deep breath and sprinted off through the forest, away from whatever was pursuing her.

Kaeko Sepheru had a bounty on her head – a 100 million zennie bounty. She wasn't sure who set the bounty for her, she didn't have the time to think about such things. All she knew was that as long as that bounty existed, she'd have to keep running and stay vigilant. She knew she wasn't physically strong, so she put most of her energy and time into building up her endurance and speed. It helped her get through most days without confrontation.

"WHOA HO HO! Where ya goin' missy?"

A man with short brown hair leapt out of the bushes and blocked Kaeko's path, causing her to skid to a halt. Evidently, this was not one of those days.

Kaeko narrowed her eyes and scowled, "Tch."

She had hoped to avoid this, she knew her body couldn't handle much more. She needed food. Maybe she could talk her way out of this... convince him that maybe he didn't need to fight her.

"You know, I've been tracking you all night. You gave me a looooot of trouble ya know? But hey, as long as I bring you in, the trouble's gonna be worth it. Hoooo... a hundred million zennie... think of what I can do with that!" The man mused, casually twirling a small knife in his hand.

Alright, never mind. This nut wasn't going to listen to anything, he was too fixated on the riches he'd gain.

Without another second to spare, the man flung his knife towards Kaeko's face, which she dodged with relative ease. But she knew she was in trouble, she was already starting to feel dizzy. She didn't have any time to waste, she had to use _that._

Kaeko leapt backwards and stared at the man tiredly, making sure his knife never left her line of vision.

"What's the matter? You tired? Just make this easy for me and come quietly! I promise I won't hurt you if you do." The man grinned, twirling his knife again. His grin quickly faded and was replaced with a sneer once he saw the look of determination in her eyes. "Hmph. Suit yourself and die then!"

The man sent his knife flying towards Kaeko's face once again, only this time she wasn't fast enough to dodge it. Thinking quickly, she brought her arm up to her face, letting the knife stab into the back of her forearm. She gritted her teeth and slowly exhaled, trying to cope with the stinging pain shooting up her arm.

"HAHAHA! BET THAT HURTS DON'T IT?" The man taunted, "There's gonna be PLENTY more where that came from too!"

Kaeko slowly brought her arm down and gripped the handle of the knife, yanking it out of her flesh to let the blood slowly ooze out of her wound. She sighed in relief and tossed the knife onto the grass beneath her, smirking as she slowly looked up.

"You gonna cry? You gonna – huh?" The man stared at Kaeko, confused.

Was that a... a smile? Wasn't she in pain just a moment ago? A sudden shiver overtook his body. It felt like... death was looming over him. But why? Didn't he have the upper hand?

Kaeko slowly lifted her arm towards her pursuer with a smirk, "You started it."

As if on cue, red vines began to form around Kaeko's bloodied, extended arm, sprouting bright red flower buds on the ends. As the man watched on, he saw that the buds on the ends of the vines began to gurgle and bloom, revealing a nasty set of teeth.

_It wasn't that she wasn't fast enough to dodge the knife. _The man concluded as he stared helplessly at the flowers._ She __**wanted**__ this to happen._

At that moment he knew what it felt like to stare into the jaws of a predator.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back!<strong>

**So this is the new and improved version of "Every Flower Has Its Thorns." Hope you guys enjoy!**

- Moofeen


	2. Joining the Team

Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2

.::Joining the Team::.

"Waaah! Look how nice these trees are Killua!"

"They look the same as the ones everywhere else, Gon."

Our two favorite boys Gon and Killua happened to be walking on a path not too far from Kaeko, debating over... trees?

"They're different!" Gon insisted, giving Killua a slight frown. "Can't you see the shape of the leaves?"

Killua sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. He _really_ didn't care about the different types of trees that existed in the world; all he wanted to do was get to the inn they had agreed upon and call Leorio to discuss some important... business.

Suddenly a peculiar scent found its way to Gon's nose. It smelled metallic... rotten... kinda like...

"Blood." Gon's nose wrinkled at the scent and he sniffed the air a few more times to confirm it. "There's no mistake, it's blood!"

"Ah." Killua turned his head to the side, facing the forest off the path where the smell was coming from. "Looks like it's coming from over there, and it's fresh."

Without another word to spare, Gon sprinted towards the source of the smell, leaving behind a baffled Killua. He couldn't help it, he just had to know what was going on!

"O-OI! GON!" Killua scratched his head in bewilderment as he stared at his friend take off into the forest. "That guy... always jumping into situations like this." He sighed to himself, but felt a smirk curl up to his lips. _But this could be __**fun. **_He thought as he sped off after Gon.

* * *

><p>Kaeko was exhausted.<p>

Her eyesight was getting more and more blurry, and she could feel her head spinning and throbbing. She had to find food soon, or she knew she'd collapse and die of starvation. She chuckled quietly to herself as she wobbled through the forest.

_Starvation huh? That'd be a sad way to die. _She thought, _Especially after running all this time..._

She could feel the remnants of the blacklist hunter's blood drip down her arm, the smell was starting to get nauseating. Then she heard a rustle... and she knew better than to assume it was just another animal.

Her body stiffened as she scanned the area surrounding her. Were there more blacklist hunters? She hoped that wouldn't be the case – she knew she wouldn't be able to fully defend herself in her current state.

"Killua! Look!"

She didn't care how young that voice sounded, as soon she heard it she sped off like a bullet through the trees, leaving behind a cloud of dirt where she once stood.

….At least...

That's what she _hoped_ would happen.

The reality however, was very different. Kaeko _tried_ to speed off like a bullet through the trees, but instead slipped on the leaves beneath her due to her exhaustion and dizziness.

_**THUMP! **_

Kaeko landed somewhat ungracefully on her back, mumbling an "oof!" as she fell.

Alright, she was dead. This was the end for her, but she at least wanted to see who finally caught her after two long years of running. She opened her eyes and stared up, trying to make out the faces of the people standing above her. Slowly, her blurry vision refocused and she found herself staring at the faces of teenagers who looked about the same age as her.

_I guess... it's over. _She thought as her eyes closed. _They got me. _She couldn't run away anymore; exhaustion and hunger have taken their toll on her, but she was glad that she was finally able to sleep.

...Forever.

Then she felt something ice cold on top of her face.

"AHH!" She felt herself jolt upright and snap right out of her slumber.

_What the..._ She analyzed her surroundings. She appeared to be in a.. restaurant? Sitting in a booth?

Wasn't she in a forest a second ago? Now she was surrounded by... by...

"FOOD!" She couldn't help but shout. _Is this... is this all real? Am I... in heaven?_ She stared at the large bowl of noodles in front of her, still confused.

"You act like you haven't eaten in days."

Kaeko turned her attention to the source of the voice. A boy about the same age as her with fluffy white hair and cold blue eyes.

"You've been asleep for half an hour. We couldn't get you to wake up until Gon put that ice pack on your face." He motioned his head towards the boy next to him.

"Now that you're awake, you should eat!" Gon chirped, pushing the bowl of noodles closer to her. "Your stomach was growling even in your sleep!"

Kaeko nodded slowly, coming to terms with the face that she was alive... Dear god she was ALIVE! But who were these two boys? Why were they giving her food? Was it poisoned? She stared at the soup and found the smell of the broth irresistible. Screw it! She didn't care if it was poisoned! It was food and it was _right there!_

She took a spoon and drank some of the broth, feeling its warmth gently slide down her throat. It was delicious. Absolutely, utterly, undeniably _delicious_. She couldn't stop eating, and before she knew it, the entire bowl of noodles in front of her disappeared – even the soup.

She sighed in content and looked back up at the two boys, "Thank you... for the um... meal." Kaeko didn't really know what to say. She was grateful, but confused. Why did they decide to help her anyways?

"You're wondering why we helped?" The white haired boy asked.

Kaeko nodded.

"Because this guy," He pointed his thumb over to Gon, "Decided to. He makes all the decisions."

"I'm Gon!" Gon extended his hand out and shook Kaeko's hand. "And that's Killua!"

"Yo."

"Um.. I'm Kaeko." She spoke, still hesitant, unsure of what to make of the situation. "Can you tell me what happened back there? Why you helped me? How I got here?"

Gon nodded happily and started to explain.

* * *

><p>"She passed out. Probably from hunger." Killua stated. "You know she's the one that created that blood puddle over there, right?" He motioned his head over to the remains of the blacklist hunter from before.<p>

"Yeah... but..." Gon knelt down and stared at Kaeko's face. "I could hear her heart. She sounded scared." He blinked a couple times and looked up at Killua. "Her eyes told me too. She was just attacking because she was scared. Foxbears do the same thing!"

"But she's not a Foxbear Gon."

"Wouldn't you attack someone if they cornered you?"

"..."

"Let's get her food, Killua. Her stomach's still growling." Gon chuckled as he began lifting Kaeko's body off the forest floor.

"Augh! Fine, you win!" Killua sighed, raising his arms in defeat, "But she's paying us back!"

"Killua!" Gon pouted and moved Kaeko's body to a piggyback position. "What if she has no money?"

A mischievous glint appeared in Killua's eyes. "Then she pays us back in a different way."

"KILLUA!"

* * *

><p>"And then we brought you here." Gon finished.<p>

"Your stomach was getting annoying." Killua added, smirking. "By the way, the noodle bowl was MMPF!" Before Killua could finish his sentence, he found his speech impeded by Gon's hands wrapped around his face.

"Ehehe... it's okay Kaeko! You don't need to pay us back." Gon smiled.

"BWAH!" Killua finally yanked Gon's hands off him and shot him a small glare. He could've used that zennie for chocolate robots... But that didn't mean Kaeko was going to leave without repaying them in _some _way.

"Fine." Killua sighed, "But this doesn't mean you don't owe us!"

Kaeko nodded, somewhat taken aback. Of course she wasn't going to just walk out without doing anything after these two saved her life! "I'm in your debt. What do you want?"

Gon immediately asked, "Why did you kill him? That hunter."

_No hesitation! _Kaeko was surprised by Gon's... straightforwardness. He didn't mess around!

"He was a blacklist hunter wasn't he? Meaning he was hunting _you. _Care to tell us why?" Killua stood up and placed his hand on the table, looking Kaeko square in the eye. The look he gave her at that moment told her clearly that she had to answer – and that he would know if she was lying.

"There's no need to be aggressive." Kaeko whispered, making eye contact with Killua. "I'll tell you. Just not here."

"Hmph." Killua slid his hand off the table and motioned his head towards the door. "Oi, Gon. Let's go to the inn. She can tell us her story there."

Gon nodded and stood up from his seat, smiling at Kaeko. "You need a place to rest too right? Let's go!"

Kaeko followed the two boys obediently without question. She didn't know what she was getting herself into or where she was going, but strangely enough, she felt okay – more okay than she had ever felt in the last two years. If this was any indication of what the journey with Gon and Killua would be like, she was happy to stay – happy to serve.

And besides...

Maybe working with these two would prove beneficial to her and her own search.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you guys think of the flow of the story now, and any extra scenes you may want to see. Kinda like fillers, or moments where the gang bonds. I'm open to suggestions!  
>And thank you all my loyal readers who have stuck with me to this story! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. :] I mean.. really guys I love ya for it!<p>

Moving on... So what are your guys' opinions about the new Hunter x Hunter anime? I wanna hear your thoughts.

My own personal opinion (in case anyone cares... _) is that they um... could've done a lot better.

For instance...  
>1) Why does mexican-ish music play whenever Hisoka appears?<br>2) Where is Gon's connection with the animals and the whole "the mark of a good hunter is being good with animals" thing?  
>3) WHERE IS KAITO?<br>4) Why did they rush through the first couple episodes and then make random fillers?  
>5) WHY IS HISOKA'S VOICE SO DEEP AND WHERE DID HIS PLAYFUL CREEPY GO?<p>

That is all. :] Happy readings everyone. OH! AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! I look forward to hearing from you guys.

- Moofeen


	3. Questions and Answers

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

.::Questions and Answers::.

"So, talk."

Gon, Killua, and Kaeko had arrived and checked into the "Coast inn" – the inn that Gon and Killua had previously agreed upon staying. The three were now in their room, seated around a small table provided by the inn. Killua had been impatient and wasted no time in demanding Kaeko to reveal her circumstances to them.

Kaeko sighed and placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin on top of her hands. "Well, what do you want to know first?"

Gon nearly cut her off, "Why are blacklist hunters after you?" he asked, concerned.

"Same reason they'd be after anyone right? I have a bounty on my head." She stated simply. "And it's not just hunters, other people are after me too. Want the money I guess."

Killua groaned at the answer and stared at Kaeko with a hint of frustration. "We know that, the question is _why._"

In response to Killua's question, Kaeko reached down the front of her shirt and pulled out a folded piece of paper, sliding it across the table towards the boys. "Here's your answer. I don't really know much of the details, so this is as much as I can tell you."

Killua lifted the paper off the table and unfolded it, holding it upright between himself and Gon. It was a wanted poster with Kaeko's face smack-dab in the middle.

* * *

><p><strong>WANTED<strong>

**KAEKO SEPHERU**

**FOR THE MASS MURDER OF 108 PEOPLE IN NEPHELE VILLAGE**

**DESCRIPTION: BLACK HAIR, PURPLE EYES. EYEPATCH OVER LEFT EYE.**

**EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. APPROACH WITH CAUTION.**

**100 MILLION ZENNIE REWARD DEAD OR ALIVE  
><strong>

* * *

><p>108 people. 108 precious lives. Gon stared up at the girl before him, examining her features for any sign of remorse. He could see it – the way she tried to keep her emotions under control. But behind her eyes were feelings of pain... Feelings of guilt and remorse. She couldn't have massacred that village out of spite. Those feelings were missing in her eyes.<p>

Killua however, felt his face darken after reading. He wasn't so sure about keeping her around anymore, even if Gon insisted upon it. He didn't want to deal with the trouble this girl could bring them – they had enough on their hands. "You massacred a village? Why?"

"It was..." Kaeko paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "...An accident. I never intended for something like... _that_ to happen." Her heart ached as she spoke, but she tried hard to prevent the guilt and shame she felt from showing on her face. After all, she couldn't show her vulnerability to two people she had just met.

Killua nearly scoffed, "Accident? How could _that_ have been an accident?" It was hard for him to buy it. People didn't normally slaughter entire villages because of so called _accidents._ From his experience, these kinds of cases were all premeditated.

He scanned her facial expressions carefully, looking for any sign of deceit... a subtle twitch on the corners of her mouth... the slight widening of her pupils... a change in the pattern of her breathing...

If she was lying, he would know.

"It was my home." Kaeko whispered, slowly bringing her eyes to meet his. "How could I have done that on purpose...? To my family? My friends...?"

"I believe her." Gon said, easing the tension. Killua stared at Gon for a moment, almost in disbelief, then scoffed and looked away, "Tch." It was times like these where he felt Gon was too easily accepting.

Gon then turned to Kaeko and asked, "Can you tell us more?"

Kaeko hesitated for a bit. Though she was indebted to these two she wasn't comfortable sharing the story of her past – especially when she hadn't quite accepted what happened herself.

As if sensing her uneasiness, Gon smiled at her, "You don't have to tell us now if you don't want to, we just wanna know how you got here. You couldn't have come all the way to the Yorupian continent just to run away right?"

Kaeko's eyes widened out of confusion and shock. _I'm all the way here?_

Killua smacked his palm against his face and sighed, exasperated. "Gon, I don't think she even knew where she was." He slowly slid his hand down his face and stared at Kaeko as if to communicate to her... _You've got to be kidding._

A sweat drop rolled down Gon's head. "Oh."

An awkward silence filled the room. If anyone had dropped anything, it would have echoed.

Kaeko spoke up, unable to bear the silence anymore. "Well... you're right. I'm not just running away. I'm looking for someone too... A friend." She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her thumbs. "A couple days after the accident, people came to my village... you know... to record how many people died and... who died." She sighed and looked back up at their faces. "The person I'm looking for... Her name wasn't on the list of casualties."

Killua crossed his arms and leaned back against his chair, "So she's still alive and you're on a wild goose chase looking for her?"

"Pretty much."

Killua sighed and rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger. He didn't even know where to begin. This girl was completely and utterly _stupid. _Who in their right mind just runs around the world hoping to bump into a lost friend? "And how do you expect to find her without any leads?"

"It's hard to get any information since I'm constantly on the run..." Kaeko rubbed her shoulder, slightly embarrassed. "I was hoping I would eventually hear about some rumors about survivors from Nephele... You know... while passing by cities and towns... And go on from there." She sighed and sunk into her chair. "But I haven't heard anything yet."

"Why don't you use the hunter website?" Gon suggested, pulling out his hunter's license.

"Is that an... offer?" Kaeko stared at the license in wonder, "How does it work?" She had heard about these things before, but had never really considered getting one herself. Not to mention she didn't really know about the benefits of having one.

"We'll consider-" Killua started.

"We'll help you!" Gon interrupted happily.

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Killua's head. "_After_, you tell us the rest of what we want to know." Killua leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms.

Kaeko sighed and stared back at Killua. "What else do you want to know?"

"What's with your ability?" Killua asked. "And that eye." He lifted his arm and pointed up at her left eye, which was covered with an eyepatch. "Lose it or something?"

Kaeko lifted her eyebrows, slightly taken aback. He was so... _direct. _Well, she thought, knowing her ability was a small price to pay for their help. She cleared her throat and laid her left arm across the table for Gon and Killua to see. "My ability..." She placed her right hand on her arm and began to drag her fingernails against her skin, drawing blood.

Gon stared on unfazed, watching with curiosity. What could she do with her blood?

"...is dependent on my blood." Kaeko continued, lifting her fingers off of her arm. Small vines began to push themselves out of her flesh, wrapping around her arm; then flower buds sprouted at the ends of the vines. "Without it, they can't bloom."

"Waah!" Gon watched intently as the flowers began to bloom and sprout miniature teeth. "That's amazing! Killua!" He pointed excitedly at the blooming flowers, "Look! They have teeth!"

Killua stared at the wriggling flowers, seemingly without much interest. From what he saw, he concluded that she was either a specialist or a conjurer. He looked back up at her face, expecting to hear more.

Kaeko hesitated for a moment before responding, "And you're right about my eye. It's gone."

"Heeh?" Killua continued to stare skeptically at her, then eventually sighed and relaxed his body, accepting her answer. She was telling the truth all right, but definitely not all of it. He could tell that much. _How'd you lose it? _Was a question he wanted to ask, but decided to save it for another time. He and Gon had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

"Oi. Gon." Killua turned his head over to his spiky haired friend. "We should probably call Leorio now. We can't keep him waiting forever you know."

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot!" Gon exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm. One could almost visualize a lightbulb going off above his head.

"You mean you forgot the whole reason we came here in the first place?"

"Thanks for reminding me Killua!" Gon grinned and turned to Kaeko. "Here Kaeko!" He handed her one of the hotel card keys. "We're gonna go talk to our friend for a while, so you can go exploring if you want!"

Killua leaned over Gon's shoulder and whispered, "Are you sure we can trust her with that?"

Gon nodded almost immediately. "Un!"

Killua sighed and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine. Let's go."

As the two boys headed towards the door, Gon looked back with a smile and waved while Killua continued walking, staring straight ahead. The door closed behind them and clicked shut, leaving Kaeko all by her lonesome. She let out a sigh, relieved that the interrogation was over. She was also relieved that the two didn't pry too much about her eye – it wasn't exactly something she wanted to get into.

At least... not at the current moment.

Kaeko took a few more minutes to settle her nerves, then looked down at the key card in her hand.

"Well then." She looked up at the door. "Exploring it is."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>**  
><strong>Hey guys! YES I'M NOT DEAD! I am also not abandoning this story like I promised. I've just been really busy lately with school and life and junk. Rest assured that all the time I spent hiatus-ing was not wasted! I spent a good amount of time during classes (and when I should have been doing homework) refining the storyline, so hopefully it's more put together and easy to understand. Also, I'm aware that Hunter x Hunter has stopped its hiatus (only to go back on hiatus), so this story doesn't exactly fit into the original universe anymore...

**(SPOILER ALERT)**

Since.. well Gon's already met up with his Dad and everything. Not to mention Togashi finally introduced Alluka (who's friggin adorable.). So... I'm just gonna go ahead and say that this takes place after the Chimera Ant Arc and after Gon's all healed by Alluka. BUT, in my story Gon has not met Ging yet. Gon and Killua also do not separate. Hopefully there's not too much confusion over this. I really wish I could keep my story aligned with the original universe, but I thought of this story during the time Togashi stopped in the middle of the CAA, so there's not too much I can tweak without tearing apart this whole series.

For the TLDR part:

- Story takes place after Chimera ant arc

- Gon has been fixed by Alluka

- Gon has not met Ging yet.

- Gon and Killua are still traveling together

- No election stuff/zodiac people.


	4. A Link to the Past

Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2

.::A Link to the Past::.

Inside a conference room at the Coast inn, Gon and Killua were seated across one another with a table between them. Perched on that table was a landline phone, whose wire could be traced up to Gon's hand which clutched the phone.

"...and I still haven't been able to contact Kurapica." Came a voice from the line.

Gon's mouth curled into a frown, "I see..."

The voice continued, "I don't know what that guy's up to. It's almost like he's been avoiding us! Tch! I know he wants to do things on his own, but we're his friends!"

"I'm sure we'll find him soon, Leorio." Gon replied calmly. "You said it yourself, we're friends right? He'll definitely talk to us soon!"

Killua leaned back in his seat nonchalantly with his hands behind his head. He already knew they weren't going to be in touch with Kurapica anytime soon. The guy was too focused on fulfilling his goals on his own. Although Kurapica was their friend, Killua knew they had to stay focused on the matters at hand. He had to keep Gon on track. "Oi, Gon. Did Leorio say anything about the lead?"

"Hah? Oh! Right!" Gon re-shifted his focus back to the matters at hand. He moved the phone away from his ear, "Leorio heard from someone that Ging was helping with the reconstruction in a village called Ni..phil?"

Leorio corrected him from the phone, "It's Nephele, Gon. 'Neff- el.'"

"Ah! Nephele!" Gon repeated to Killua.

"Nephele? That's on the other side of the world!" Killua groaned and buried his face into his hands. That would mean he'd have to order a blimp to get back to the Azian Continent... which in turn meant he'd have to talk to his family...

"AUUUGGHHH!" Killua ruffled his hair in frustration. That was the _last_ thing he wanted to do. After thinking it over briefly, Killua sighed in defeat, "Fine. If that's our only lead, I guess we'll have to take it." He stood up from the couch, tossing his cell phone up into the air and catching it as it fell. "I'm gonna make a call, but I'm not gonna like it."

"I wanna talk to Leorio for a little longer, just to see if there's anything else." Gon placed the phone back against his ear and smiled over at Killua. "Thanks, Killua."

"Ah, ah," Killua sighed and waved his hand as he walked out of the conference room, "But you owe me!"

* * *

><p>"Huh..." Back in Gon and Killua's hotel room, Kaeko stood in front of a mirror, staring at her reflection. "That was nice of them to leave clothes for me to wear..."<p>

Kaeko adjusted the shirt she was wearing and turned her body to the side, looking at herself from different angles. Judging from the style, she guessed she was wearing one of Killua's spare shirts. Her eyes traveled down her legs to the shorts she wore. Yeah, those were Gon's alright. A little loose, but not a bad fit... for a girl in boy clothes.

Just before Kaeko set foot outside the room, she figured it'd be downright foolish of her to just waltz down into the lobby looking like... herself. So she took it upon herself to look around the room to see if she could make a disguise out of something... anything. She was even prepared to use one of the curtains as a cloak, but this alternative worked out a lot better.

The boys had left some of their spare clothing in the bathroom by the sink, and on top of the pile was a note reading, "If you're going to go walking around outside, try not to be stupid." Definitely from Killua.

"And the final touch..." Kaeko grabbed a red cap from the edge of one of the beds and pulled it on her head, tucking her hair into it. She glanced back at the mirror and smiled. Aside from the eyepatch, she looked nothing like her face on the wanted poster now. In fact, she looked like a young boy – definitely a plus.

* * *

><p>Now down in the lobby, Kaeko wandered around, admiring the chandeliers and the decorations she was rushed past before. She wasn't used to this kind of environment. Everything looked so... <em>different. <em>She was more accustomed to small houses made of wood and candles for light; not these tall, flashy buildings.

She glanced down at the tiled floors and giggled at how shiny they were, then proceeded to move to the back of the inn towards the garden. Though she appreciated and admired the metropolis setting, she felt more comfortable around what she grew up with – nature. Once Kaeko stepped outside to the garden, she took a deep breath of fresh air and exhaled slowly, letting a smile curl up to her lips. The sun had begun to set, painting the sky a beautiful reddish orange. Kaeko walked by the koi pond at the edge of the garden and sat beside it, watching the koi. She dipped her fingers into the chilly water and swirled them around, smiling as the fish pursued them. It was during times like these that memories of her childhood came flooding back to her.

A bittersweet smile found its way to Kaeko's face as she remembered how she and her friend, Skye, would sit by the river near their village for hours, just watching the water flow. Things were peaceful then. Peaceful and simple. But now things were different, and though her heart ached and yearned for those peaceful days again, she knew it couldn't happen – she had company.

"Reminds you of those days back at the village, don't it?" Asked a voice.

Kaeko shifted her eyes to the bushes where the voice came from and remained still. _Judging from the voice... young male._ She felt a light pang of guilt in her chest. _And from that comment... From the village._

There was a light rustle, and the owner of the voice revealed himself. True to Kaeko's thoughts, the voice belonged to a young man around his late teens. He was bulky, probably from months of physical training, and tall. He had shaggy brown hair, dirty ripped clothes, a cloth covering the lower half of his face, and a nasty glare that could intimidate any normal person.

"A cheap disguise isn't going to hide you forever." He spat out bitterly, making sure to keep a good distance between them.

"Ah. You could tell then?" Kaeko gave him a light smirk and turned her attention back to the koi pond, still swirling her fingers around the water. It was clear she didn't feel the least bit threatened. "What gave it away?"

"The clothes." He scoffed bitterly, "I saw those two you were with. I recognized their clothes. The mix and match doesn't help you." She could hear the hatred in his voice ringing loud and clear.

"You've been following me for some time now. I thought I lost you days ago." Kaeko mused, finally removing her fingers from the pond. She slowly stood up and removed the cap from her head, letting her hair fall back down to her shoulders. So much for that disguise.

"You thought wrong." He hissed as he ripped off the cloth covering his face. "Remember me? My face? Take a good look!"

Kaeko stared at the young man's face and felt another pang of guilt hit her in the chest. _A scarred face from burns and deep cuts... _She knew it was her doing back at that time...

She shook her head and buried her emotions deep inside herself. She couldn't let this get to her. "Nope. I don't recognize you one bit."

As if he wasn't angry enough, the man gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly – so tightly Kaeko could see his veins popping up to the surface of his skin.

"TRAITOROUS MURDERER! I'M SHIGE, THE SON OF THE TWO PEOPLE YOU TORTURED AND KILLED!" Without another word, Shige reached behind him and swiftly pulled out his broadsword, pointing it menacingly at Kaeko. "I've been waiting a long time for this day. The day I can finally have my revenge!"

Kaeko sighed and stared at the shaky blade pointed at her. She could already tell he had never taken a life. "Are you really ready for this? You're shaking."

"SHUT UP!" Shige screamed as he took his first swing at Kaeko, which she dodged with ease. "MONSTER!" He continued swinging his sword wildly at her, "OF COURSE I'M READY! I'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR THIS ALL THIS TIME!"

Unbeknownst to the two, a third person was watching them with much curiosity. Killua had finished his phone call with his brother Milluki and was on his way back to inn when he suddenly felt a massive amount of bloodlust. After following that feeling, it brought him here; the most secluded part of the garden where Shige and Kaeko were facing off. Killua positioned himself against a wall, out of sight, carefully listening and watching the entire scene unfold before him.

_Tch. Either the clothes really didn't work or she was being stupid._ He thought, observing the fight. Kaeko was practically dancing around while this Shige guy was clearly struggling to land a hit. _He doesn't stand a chance the way he is now. She could've taken him out easily. _Killua's eyebrows furrowed in confusion _So why hasn't she already?_

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE ALREADY? WITCH!" Shige's strikes became more and more desperate, but no matter what he tried, he just couldn't land a hit. Punches, kicks, strikes... nothing connected.

"I'm sorry. I can't die just yet." Kaeko's tone was completely devoid of emotion – much different from her usual demeanor. "Once I reach my goal, I'll accept death with open arms. But until then..." Kaeko grabbed Shige's arm with ease as he swung at her. It was as if his arm was never in motion to begin with. "I'll keep fighting to stay alive." She moved in for an uppercut and hit him square in the jaw, knocking him off his feet and to the ground.

Shige sputtered and spit out some blood to the side, glaring up at Kaeko.

"You're welcome to come again then. But as for now..." She looked back at him with cold eyes. "You're throwing your life away."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Shige pulled himself back onto his feet and with new-found energy, continued unleashing a barrage of attacks on the young girl. "MURDERER! KILLER! WITCH! YOU SHOULD'VE DIED THEN! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" With every insult, Shige's attacks seemed to become more accurate, until finally he managed to make a single slash on Kaeko's arm.

Kaeko jumped back and sighed. She knew now that no matter what, this guy was going to keep going until she killed him or until he was somehow restrained.

Shige's breathing started to grow heavier, but despite his exhaustion, he wanted to keep going. He had a mission to avenge his parents. The bitch that murdered them was standing right here! Before his very eyes! He couldn't just let her go! His thoughts seemed to be going at a thousand miles per hour, and before he could get a grasp on what to do next, Kaeko made her move.

Kaeko stared straight at Shige and waved her arm in an upward motion, causing the ground beneath him to rumble and give way. Vines protruded from the crumbling earth and wrapped themselves around Shige, rendering him immobile.

"M-MONSTER! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Shige thrashed around frantically in an attempt to free himself from the vines.

He could feel his heartbeat racing now, and a lump began to form in his throat. He was scared. Scared out of his wits. A whimper escaped from Shige's mouth as Kaeko slowly walked towards him. She must've been less then a foot away from him now. He could feel the cold sweat forming around his body and found himself unable to speak.

Kaeko looked up at Shige, making eye contact with him,"Sleep for a while." She whispered, dangling her bloody arm over the small puddle of her blood beneath him. As more blood dripped down, a large bud began to form and bloom at the top of the vines near Shige's head.

Shige looked up in horror and began to shake and shiver uncontrollably. Was he going to die like this? Could he get out of this somehow? What could he do? Suddenly, a wave of calm passed through his body. The shaking stopped, and his thoughts seemed to quiet as well. He could feel himself getting sleepy...

The bud above Shige's head had bloomed into a flower devoid of teeth, which gently enveloped him in its petals, putting him to sleep.

Kaeko looked up at the boy encased inside the flower and felt her eyes soften. The emotions she locked away during the battle now came flowing back to her. She couldn't stay here any longer... She had caused enough trouble. She quickly picked up the hat she had left by the koi pond and ran back inside the inn, wanting to get back inside the room as fast as possible.

Killua watched Kaeko run back into the inn and stepped out of his hiding place, staring up at the handiwork she left behind. _...I don't get it. She could've killed him just as easily. Now he's just gonna come back for her when he wakes up._He sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets, feeling a small smirk curl onto his lips. _But now I know she's not just a bloodthirsty killer playing innocent. _The fact that her ability had a softer side to it proved it to him. She purposely crafted that technique when she didn't want to kill.

"At least he blends in." Killua smirked as he turned away from the flower and walked towards the inn. This Kaeko girl was turning out to be pretty interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

****Hello all! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Again, I apologize for taking forever to update, but I hope you all enjoy where this new version is headed! I know the pace is going a lot faster than the old version, and I'm actually thinking about adding "filler chapters" for the sake of character development and relationship development. What do you all think? These chapters would still tie back into the main storyline, but they'll be labelled as "filler" since they don't need to be read to understand the rest of what's going on.

Anywho, thanks for the reviews! Let me know about any suggestions you may have for the story. If you really want to contact me or have an awesome idea you'd like to share with me, my email is on my profile page.

Much love,

Moofeen. :]


	5. The Guilty

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::The Guilty::**.

The sound of running water echoed through a room in the Coast Inn. Kaeko stood in the shower, staring up at the ceiling as the warm water slid down her body. Her thoughts were spiraling out of control; so much so that she had a hard time grasping what was reality and what was just her imagination.

_I'M SHIGE, THE SON OF THE TWO PEOPLE YOU TORTURED AND KILLED!  
><em>

His words rang through Kaeko's head and pierced deep into her heart. She couldn't imagine how it felt to lose both parents so suddenly. It wasn't right of her to do it... even if she wasn't in control of her own actions, and even if she didn't remember a thing.

But she still did it.

She was still guilty.

Nothing would bring his parents back. What's done was done.

Kaeko shut her eyes tightly and clenched her teeth, gripping her arms tightly as the water rained down on her. She felt dirty...

Disgusting...

So full of sin.

And no matter how long she stayed in the water, she couldn't wash those feelings away. Slowly, she removed her grip on her arms and stared down at her shaking hands. These hands killed her friends and her own people... No matter how far and how long she ran, she knew she couldn't escape that fact. Guilt, regret, and despair loomed over her wherever she went like a shadow, slowly chipping away at her own desire to move forward.

Oh how she hated killing.

How she hated that smell of blood and death...

That screaming and those gurgles that sputtered out of people's mouths.

That hollow, yet desperate look in their eyes as they realized it was the end.

She hated all of that.

She only did what she had to in order to survive. That's what she told herself time and time again to cope with the guilt – to keep her going.

With the blink of an eye, the entire room became painted with red, as if to remind her of all the lives she had taken. Blood splatters covered the shower curtains, the tiled walls and floors. Even the water raining down from the shower-head became tainted with a deep blood red. Kaeko let out a sharp gasp and suddenly, just as quickly as she envisioned it, the room was normal again.

_Just my imagination... _She thought, sighing.

But there was no denying how real it all felt.

Kaeko fell to her knees and let the water continue to thud against her back and soaking wet hair. She scrubbed herself roughly in an attempt to cleanse herself from her guilt. The scrubs then turned into scratches, leaving behind trails of red lines across her normally pale skin. Even when she started to draw blood, she didn't stop – she couldn't stop.

...So dirty...

She still felt so dirty...

_WITCH! YOU SHOULD'VE DIED THEN! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!_

Kaeko smirked bitterly as more of Shige's words echoed through her mind. He was right. She was a witch – a monster. She really _didn't _deserve to live; not after what she did. Yet, here she was, traveling around the world to fulfill her own selfish desires. Before she accepted any sort of retribution, she wanted to find Skye.

Her arms fell back to her sides limply as she shakily stood back up on her feet. She had been in the shower long enough. She was beginning to feel light-headed from the heat.

After turning off the water and drying herself off, she stepped in front of the mirror and taped a new patch over her left eye before heading back out into the main room. Much to her surprise, she found a pair of icy blue eyes greeting her.

Killua was seated on the edge of the bed by a window, looking directly at Kaeko clad in nothing but a towel. His eyes trailed down her bare arms and shoulders, noticing the bright red scratch marks running along them.

"Jeez, do you always scratch yourself that hard when you shower?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

_**THUD!**_

The door slammed shut again.

Killua sighed and found himself speaking to the door now. "It was just a question!"

"I was indecent." Came Kaeko's voice through the door, "Ask again later."

"So what? It's not like there's anything there anyways!" Killua teased, flopping back onto the bed with his hands behind his head.

The door opened again, this time with a fully clothed Kaeko. The light in her eyes that Killua had seen before seemed to be missing now. Maybe this wasn't really the time to be joking around. Then again, what did he care? She was only here because Gon wanted to help her, it's not like she was tagging along with them for long.

"I saw, you know." Killua said, staring up at the ceiling fan in boredom. "Why didn't you just kill him like that other guy who chased you?"

Kaeko shot back almost instantaneously, not even bothering to respond to his question, "What were you doing out there?! How much did you see?!"

Killua chuckled a bit and lazily glanced back towards her, "I was calling my brother and heard yelling, so I went and checked it out. I saw enough."

"How much did you see?" She repeated, this time in a more cold and serious tone.

Killua sighed, finally dropping his playful demeanor. "Nearly everything." He turned his head and stared at her, seriously this time. "I answered your question. Now will you answer mine?" He sat upright and whirled himself so he was seated completely faced towards her. "What made that moron's life more precious than that hunter's you took?"

Kaeko felt a little uneasy under his stare, but maintained her cold, stoic expression. "I killed enough of his people."

That's right. They were _his_ people. No longer hers. She didn't have the right to call them _her_ people anymore. Not after what she had done to them.

"So he was part of that village you massacred?" Killua deduced.

Kaeko noticeably stiffened.

Killua sighed again and flopped back onto the bed, redirecting his gaze towards the ceiling fan. "He knew what he was getting himself into, just like that blacklist hunter."

"You wouldn't understand." She retorted grimly, taking a seat next to him. She looked down at the carpet and swung her legs back and forth mindlessly.

"Ah. I get it. It's the guilt isn't it?" Killua smirked, rolling his eyes over in her direction.

She said nothing.

"So I'm right then?" He egged on, waiting for a response.

When she still said nothing he huffed in frustration and sat back up. That was when he noticed a tiny droplet hit the carpet.

_Shit._

Momentary panic seized Killua. Was she crying? Did _he_ make her cry? Ah man, if Gon came back right now he'd never hear the end of it! It'd be all, 'Killua! You're not supposed to make girls cry!' and all that junk.

"Um... Are you..." Killua tried hard to formulate his words in a somewhat compassionate manner. "Crying...?"

Still no response.

"Oi." There was a hint of worry evident in his voice now. "_Oi._" When he still received no answer he hesitantly reached over and touched her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

_She's definitely crying. _Killua scratched the back of his head and flushed a light red, unsure of what to do. _Dammit Gon, where are you when I need you?!_ He mentally cursed.

"Erm..." He started, "What I meant to say is... that you shouldn't feel guilty for morons like that guy back there, especially when he knew what he was getting himself into. Heck, he came after _you._"

"I killed so many people"

Killua huffed a bit in frustration. He was getting the slight feeling that he might have been making things worse, but he kept trying regardless. Gon would've been proud.

"So you've killed people, big deal. I've killed tons more." He continued.

Kaeko seemed to respond to these words by tilting her head ever so slightly in his direction, still keeping her face hidden behind her hair.

"And I'm far less merciful than you."

At this, Kaeko whipped her head up and stared over at Killua with interest, "Merciful?"

"It's true. You can even ask Gon." Killua rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unsure of whether or not this talk was going anywhere or doing anything. "So if you think you're a horrible person, then you're gonna think I'm the devil." He sighed and let his arm fall back on the covers of the bed. "What I'm trying to say is... Just because we've done bad things, doesn't mean we're bad people."

"How do you cope with the guilt?" She asked.

Killua smirked darkly at her, "That's where we're different. You can still feel guilt for the lives of strangers you've taken. I've forgotten that feeling, so who's the horrible person now?"

"Huh..." Kaeko considered this for a moment and felt a small smile curl on her lips. "Hey Killua..."

"Hmm?"

"What made you want to talk to me?" Kaeko looked over at him curiously, "We haven't even spent that much time together."

"'Cause Gon wouldn't wanna see you moping around." He answered simply. "He's the kinda guy that always wants to make the people around him smile."

Kaeko studied Killua's expression carefully. She saw it – the subtle way his eyes lit up when he talked about Gon. She could tell instantly that the two boys were inseparable. They were the light and support in each others lives. Just like how she and her friend Skye were.

Only Skye wasn't with her.

"Oi. You're creeping me out, ugly."

It was then that Kaeko realized she had been staring at Killua for a _little_ bit too long. "Oh.. sorry."

_Wait a minute. Did he just..._ Kaeko's calm expression instantly changed into one of bewilderment. "U-ugly? Weren't you the one trying to make me feel better a second ago?"

She was legitimately confused by this guy. First he tried to comfort her, and then he did a complete 180 by calling her ugly.

"I was." Killua stood up from the bed, smirking, "Until you creeped me out."

"Weirdo."

"Creep."

"Hypocrite."

"Flat-chested."

"I'm back!"

The two bickering teens whirled around to face a grinning Gon standing by the doorway.

Killua smirked over at him and stood up, "Yo! How was the talk with Leorio?"

"He's almost done with his exams! He's going to be a doctor soon!" Gon chirped happily.

"Ah. Good for him." Killua paused for a moment before continuing, "I've got the airship by the way. It should be here tomorrow morning, so we'll need to get to the station early." He stuck a hand out towards Gon, palm facing up, grinning childishly. "You owe me~"

"Haah?" Gon's shoulders fell as he pouted, "More chocolate?"

"Yup. And they have to be the chocolate robots."

Gon sighed and looked up at Killua with puppy-dog eyes, "Can I get you some later?"

Killua seemed to entertain the idea for a moment before responding, "Alright. We'll get some tomorrow morning, only because I want something to eat on the airship ride."

"How many boxes did you plan to get...?" Gon asked hesitantly.

"We'll see how many they have."

"KILLUA!"

"Hey, you owe me! Besides, airship rides aren't cheap!"

Kaeko couldn't help but watch these two with the upmost amount of fascination. She felt a couple chuckles escape her and slowly felt those chuckles transition into full blown laughter. As soon as she realized it, she stopped for a moment, placing the tips of her fingers against her lips.

How long had it been since she had last laughed like this?

_One year. One long year._ She thought, looking back up at the two boys.

Gon smiled back at her, genuinely happy that she was laughing, while Killua just smirked at her, finding her amusing.

Without thinking, she returned their smiles, feeling warmth flow into her. It had been much too long since she had felt this way – happy. She had almost forgotten what it felt like.

"AH!" Gon shouted suddenly, "We promised we would help you look for your friend! Let's go to the computer room before it closes!"

"You mean _you_ promised you'd help her." Killua retorted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well?" He turned to look over at Kaeko, who was still stunned by her own laughter and their kindness. "We going or not?"

"Ah.." It took a moment for Kaeko to regain control of her vocal chords. "Yes!"

With that, the three teens exited the room and headed back down into the lobby, hoping that they would be able to find something about Kaeko's missing friend.

This was so foreign to her – how she had been treated with so much kindness by these two strangers. She had been on the run for so long, with people looking at her like she was scum, with people shooing her away like some kind of disease, that she almost forgotten there were decent people out in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Helllooooooo everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Every Flower Has Its Thorns! I hope you all enjoyed it! And thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them!

Sorry that it always takes me ages to update. I'm at a pretty stressful point in my life at the moment, so thank you all so much for your patience and support.

As always, let me know what you think! Send me something funny! Draw me a cool picture! I'm always welcome to anything, and I don't bite! I swear!

Love you all!

-Moofeen


	6. On the Move

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::On the Move::.**

Over at the computer room in the Coast Inn, a young girl with bright magenta hair wearing a beanie was busy clicking away on a computer, cursing quietly to herself. On the screen was an online game, "Neopets." Upon hearing footsteps heading towards the door of the computer room, she immediately logged off of the game and quickly scuttled off to some dark corner of the room while waving her arms around in a strange sort of... dance. As if on cue, Gon, Killua, and Kaeko walked through the doors of the room and immediately seated themselves around a computer. While they were momentarily distracted, the magenta-haired girl took this opportunity to quickly dart out of the room, still waving her arms around above her head.

"So how does this thing work?" Kaeko asked, staring at the license in Gon's hand.

"First we type in the number on the card..." Gon clacked his fingers away on the keys. "..And then we slide it here." He explained as he slid his license into a slot by the computer.

The computer made a light beeping noise as it processed the card and the screen changed, featuring a bar with a bartender and some patrons.

"Waaah..." Kaeko's eyes glittered in astonishment. "Does clicking on the people give you information?"

"Un." Gon nodded his head and clicked on the bartender, which opened up a list of a variety of information.

Kaeko's eyes began to swirl upon seeing all the information available. "How do we narrow it down?" She asked, looking over at the two boys.

"Simple. What's your friend's name? We'll enter it in the search bar." Killua responded, leaning back against his chair.

"Skye Leto. S-K-Y-E, L-E-T-O."

Gon continued clacking away on the keys as he listened to Kaeko spell out the name, then pressed "enter."

The screen changed again, this time turning into a pure black screen with the bartender off in the corner speaking, "**Skye Leto is from the village of Nephele. Recent achievements include receiving her hunter license at the age of 19. No other information is known at this time.**"

Kaeko's eyes brightened in response to hearing this information. Now that she knew for a fact Skye was alive, it felt like a small weight had been lifted from her. Gon took note of this and smiled, glad he could at least help in some way.

Killua on the other hand wasn't too pleased. "Tch. That barely did anything. We don't even know where she was last seen!"

"But she's alive." Kaeko smiled, "Alive and on the move. That at least tells me she's doing okay."

Killua sighed and gave her a smirk. "Well..." He stood up from his chair and turned to face the door leading back out. "We helped you like we said we would, and Gon and I have to go on a trip tomorrow. So I guess this is where we-"

"Wait Killua!" Gon interrupted, springing up from his chair. "Leorio said there's information about Ging in Nephele, and Kaeko's from Nephele, right?"

Kaeko's eyes started to widen. She knew where this was going and she didn't like it one bit.

Killua felt the same way and responded hesitantly, "...Yeah. ...And?"

"Maybe she can help us get to the village! There might be something for Kaeko there too!"

"Like what?"

"Maybe clues or hints she missed that she can use to find Skye?"

Killua slapped his forehead in frustration, "Gon. She just spent a year trying to _get away _from that place, and now you wanna drag her back? That's like you trying to force me to go back to _my_ house."

Kaeko couldn't have said it better herself. For the second time today she felt like she and Killua were on the exact same wavelength.

"But that's different!" Gon protested.

Killua shot back almost instantaneously, "How is it different?!"

Kaeko couldn't help but watch this exchange in silence. Part of her found this to be quite amusing while the other part of her wanted to go hide in a corner of the room. However, one thing was certain. She would _never, ever_ go back to that place. Nope. Not happening.

"She's trying to find someone and we can help her! Kaeko doesn't have to be in the village, she can just be somewhere nearby while we help her look for traces of Skye! We're hunters aren't we?" Gon persisted, "Besides, don't you feel bad about leaving her alone again?!"

"Umm... No."

Gon stared at his best friend with fire in his eyes, "Well _I_ do!" He stood before Killua firmly, letting it show clearly that he wasn't going to budge on the matter.

Though she was adamant about not going at first, Kaeko couldn't help but feel her heartstrings tug at Gon's words and actions. She paused to think for a moment.

If she really went off on her own after this, life would be the same as it was the past year.

Miserable and exhausting.

Being in the company of others bettered her chances of survival and also made it easier to avoid capture. Besides...

Did she really want to be alone again?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized the answer to that question was no.

Though there was no doubt in her mind she was capable of surviving on her own, she knew she wouldn't be happy. It would be the equivalent of living like a zombie – going forward until she achieved her one goal. And after that goal... what else?

She needed laughter. She needed fun. She needed a splash of happiness to keep her going.

After gathering her thoughts, Kaeko finally spoke up amongst the two bickering boys, "Mind if I have a say in this?"

Gon and Killua turned their attention over to Kaeko and stopped talking.

"Alright. If you really want me to come along with the two of you, I will." Kaeko took a breath and stared at the two before continuing, "BUT! I won't go into the village. I can show you which paths to take to get there, but I won't go any further than that."

Killua exchanged eye contact with Gon, making absolutely sure this was what he wanted. When Gon nodded for the last time, Killua smacked his palm against his forehead, sighing in defeat. Gon was _nuts_. But then again, that's what drew Killua to him in the first place.

"Alright. Fine." Killua whirled around and stared at Kaeko sternly, "Just make sure not to get in the way."

Kaeko rolled her eyes at the snarky comment, "Yes of _course_. Wouldn't even _dream_ of it."

"The airship will be at the station at 10am tomorrow. We should go get some sleep." Killua added, ignoring Kaeko's equally snarky response. "Ah, and Gon." He tilted his head to look his best friend in the eyes. "Don't forget about those chocolate robots tomorrow."

Gon huffed sadly and nodded as he sulked out the door. "Un..."

As the three teens walked down the hallway to the elevator, the only thing on Gon's mind was how much money he'd have leftover after Killua's little chocolate shopping spree.

...It wouldn't be much.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Gon and Kaeko wobbled over to the station, trying to walk as quickly as possible without causing an avalanche of boxes to rain down. Each of the teens had a giant stack of boxes on each arm that towered over them – threatening to tumble over any minute and unleash sheer chocolately havoc.<p>

While Gon and Kaeko were struggling with balancing their towers of boxes, Killua walked casually ahead of the two with no difficulties – as if he had carried mountains of boxes like these many times before.

"Nnnnnngh... Did we really have to get this much Killua? I can't even see!" Gon wailed, waddling over to the airship's door.

Killua grinned back at him childishly, "A deal's a deal Gon!"

"I'm surprised you're not fat with the amount of chocolate you consume." Kaeko hissed from behind the boxes.

Killua turned back to face her and smirked, "And I'm surprised you still wear character print panties."

"Character... print...?" Kaeko stood in confusion for a moment while her brain slowly tried processing what Killua had just said. After realizing what he was referring to, she quickly tilted her head down and saw that she had just walked over a vent that had blown her skirt up, essentially panty-flashing everyone in that station.

Kaeko's jaw dropped and sheer terror washed over her face. However, the embarrassment Kaeko felt over her panties had caused her arms to move ever so slightly, throwing off the delicate balance of the boxes. Her terror was soon replaced by shock when the boxes came rolling down on top of her, burying her underneath.

Upon hearing the boxes roll and smack against the floor, Gon called out over his shoulder. "Are you okay?!"

"Ugh..." Kaeko shook her head and pushed herself up from the river of boxes. "I'm okay.. I think..."

Gon nodded and quickened his pace towards the airship, "I'll drop these off and come back to help you! Just wait for me!"

Killua on the other hand, didn't even bother looking back at the avalanche. Instead, he walked into the airship and laid all the boxes down inside. Once he and Gon finished loading the airship with the mountains of chocolate robots, he stepped back out only to watch as Gon rushed to help Kaeko with the last load of boxes.

"Oi. Those robots better still be intact!" Killua called out, grinning childishly as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Kaeko grunted a bit as she attempted rebalancing the boxes on her arms. It was easier now, seeing as Gon was helping her carry some too. "Thanks Gon." She smiled.

However, after hearing Killua's comment about the chocolate, her smile faded and she rolled her eyes, "Why does it matter? It's all going to the same place anyway."

"It messes up the texture, stupid."

Kaeko sighed as a sweatdrop rolled down the side of her head. God he was such a pain.

After Gon and Kaeko brought in the last of the boxes, Killua pushed a button inside the airship, shutting the doors behind them. Once the doors were fully shut, the three heard soft footsteps approaching them.

"Good morning master Killua." A young man dressed in a suit stood before them and bowed respectfully. "I'm glad to see you are well. We shall be taking off shortly." He nodded curtly at Killua before heading back down the hallway to the control room, not even bothering to acknowledge Gon or Kaeko's existence.

Kaeko lifted an eyebrow suspiciously, "What was that about...? Why did he call you Master?"

"Ah. That was one of the butlers." Killua replied nonchalantly as he began to head down the hallway with the two following after him.

Kaeko blinked in confusion to his response, "You have... butlers?" She was getting the feeling that Killua was probably somebody important.

...And somehow the thought of that sent shivers down her spine, just a teeny bit.

"Yeah! Killua's family is really well known!" Gon answered, turning to smile at Kaeko.

Before Kaeko knew it, another question popped out of her mouth. "What does your family do?"

"They're all professional assassins." Killua replied calmly, not even bothering to turn back and look at her.

"Oh..." Kaeko continued walking behind the two boys as her brain, once again, slowly began to process this new information.

"Here's a small room we can relax in while we're traveling." Killua opened a door and flicked on the lights, revealing a space with some video games and a small television.

After putting two and two together, Kaeko's eyes widened and she found it hard to contain her surprise, "You're a Zaoldyeck?!"

Kaeko's sudden scream of surprise was overshadowed by the sound of the airship's engine turning on, taking off for flight.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at Coast Inn, the girl with the beanie sat by the Koi pond, watching as the fish swam around. She scratched her now dark violet hair and sighed, poking the water with her finger. Suddenly, she was startled by a loud rustling noise. She instantly jumped up and stared in the direction where the noise came from, spotting an abnormally large flower beginning to bloom.<p>

_**SPLAT! SQUELCH! SPLORCH!**_

The blooming flower began to make _very_ unpleasant squishing, sloshing noises, and soon after a body slid out from within the flower.

Shige shook his head, shaking out all the slime and muck that had gotten on him since being inside the flower. He groaned and grabbed his head, opening his eyes to see the girl with the beanie staring down at him in disgust.

As he opened his mouth to speak, the girl lifted her arms above her head and swayed them around, hissing at him as she did so. Before Shige could even react to this strange girl, she scuttled away and leaped into the bushes nearby, still waving her arms above her head as she did so.

He coughed a couple more times before slowly getting back onto his feet, brushing off as much leftover muck as he could off his clothes. He clenched his fists tightly and glared up at the morning sky, vowing.

_I'll hunt you down Kaeko Sepheru, wherever you go. I'll find you. And I **will** kill you._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<br>**Helloooooo everyone! Here's the latest chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! Once again, thanks for being lovely people and taking the time to review this story. Thanks for all the favorites and follows too! As always, I am open to suggestions and criticisms (but no flames... those don't help me. D: ), so if you have one, send me a review or shoot me an email! My email is on my profile page as well as my not-so-accurate progress of the next chapter. Trolololol.

UNTIL NEXT TIME! Which hopefully won't be too far off...

- Moofeen


	7. Forging Bonds

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::Forging Bonds::.**

Kaeko stood before Killua, still trying to piece together all the facts in her mind. She could scarcely believe it.

...A Zoldyck.

...A Zoldyck was right in front of her.

She heard all the rumors; she knew how notorious and dangerous that family was. Just their mugshots were worth 100 million zennie!

Killua smirked over at Kaeko, his hands still in his pockets, "What, you scared or something?"

"Then that means..." Kaeko pointed at Gon, still wide-eyed in shock. "You must be Ging Freeces' son!"

"Un..." Gon nodded slowly, unsure of why Kaeko was reacting the way she was.

Kaeko stared at the two boys completely flabbergasted. These two were practically celebrities! This initial shock was soon replaced with a smile and light chuckles. "Ahaha..." She covered her face with her hand as she laughed, "I was saved by Ging Freeces's son and a Zoldyck, and now I'm traveling with them. Who would've thought it?" Needless to say she would've never imagined herself to end up in this situation. Her laughter slowly died down as her hand fell back down by her side. "You two are really something. I heard all over towns and cities about how you took down the Chimera Ants."

"Oh right." Killua's face darkened as the memories surrounding that disaster flooded back into his mind. "Those guys."

One memory flashed through his mind after another, and soon enough a cascade of memories began to rush through him. All the battles, his near-death experiences... Then came the memories of Gon while he was in the hospital.

He remembered Gon's hands – something he would never be able to forget. He remembered how bony, how brittle, how fragile those hands were when he touched them. They were so broken... so bloody... And his body –

"Hey Killua! Kaeko! Let's play a game!" Gon called out, intuitively sensing that the conversation was taking a dark turn. "We'll be here for a while right? So let's do something to pass the time!"  
>This small outburst was enough to pull Killua from the dark depths of his mind back to reality. And as if nothing had happened, he turned over to Gon, asking cooly, "What did you have in mind?"<p>

"Uhh..." Gon scratched his cheek with a finger and stared at the ceiling, thinking.

"Hey I know!" Kaeko smiled, catching their attention. She noticed Gon struggling with a distraction and figured the least she could do was help the guy out.

"Back in Nephele we played this hand game." She sat down in front of the two boys and positioned her fists in front of her chest. "You typically play this game with only one other person, otherwise it gets too confusing. Here Gon, can I use you as an example?"

"Un!" God nodded enthusiastically and sat across from her. He then mimicked her hands, placing them in front of his body with both hands closed.

"So you start out with both hands closed, and the point of this game is to call out a number. You can only call out 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20. So basically..." She opened her left hand. "See this? All of our hands are closed except for my left hand, so that means if I call 5, I would've called it correctly, since... I have 5 fingers. But on the other hand... Here Gon, open one of your hands."

Gon opened his right hand, staring intensely at this game Kaeko was trying to explain.

"So now, if I called 5. I'd be wrong since there are 10 fingers out. And since I was wrong it would be Gon's turn to call out a number."

"Ah. I get it. So every time someone calls out a number you have the option of either closing or opening your hands. And whoever calls it right gets another turn?" Killua asked, staring down at their hands.

"Yup! And whoever calls the right number twice in a row wins the game. Simple, right?" Kaeko turned to Gon and smiled, only to realize Gon was still trying to figure out the basic rules of the game.

"Uhh... So... We can't close or open our hands unless someone calls a number?" He asked, trying to understand the rules.

Kaeko shook her head, "Nope. Once you open or close your hands, it has to stay that way until you or your opponent calls out a number. And if you close or open your hands too slowly, then it doesn't count and you have to redo the turn. Does that make sense?"

Killua sat down cross-legged next to Kaeko and Gon, "Yeah. That's not hard at all. And 0 just means you and your opponent's hands are closed while 20 means both of your palms are open, right?"

"Yup! It's an easy game. And it's pretty fun once you're used to calling out numbers really fast. So how about it?" She looked at the two boys and smirked. "Wanna play?"

"OSU!" Gon bowed his head and lifted it back in excitement. "Can I go first?"

"Sure." Kaeko smiled and placed her hands in front of her body. "You can call out first."

"Mmm..." Gon stared intensely at Kaeko's fists and called out, "10!" opening both his hands.

Reacting to his voice, Kaeko instinctively opened one of her hands, smiling as she did so.

"My turn. 15!" She called out almost immediately after Gon, giving him no time to react, which earned her another turn.

"20!" She opened up her remaining hand while Gon was still staring blankly at their palms.

"20...? AH!" Gon looked at both of their hands, then up at Kaeko's face. "So you won?"

"You're too slow, Gon." Killua smirked and tilted himself to face across from Kaeko. "Now it's my turn."

"Alright. You ready?" Kaeko returned her hands back to the starting position.

"How about we make this more interesting?" A mischievous glint appeared in Killua's eyes as he moved his hands in front of him.

Kaeko lifted an eyebrow, unsure of his upcoming suggestion. "How so?"

"Loser does 1000 pushups."

Kaeko felt her eyes widen the size of dinner plates, "WHAT?! I can't do that many!"

"Well then, I guess we're gonna be stuck babysitting you on this trip after all." He mused, clearly trying to provoke her.

Kaeko felt her eyebrow twitch a bit from the challenge. "Why you..." She huffed and thought it out for a moment before sighing. "Alright fine. Challenge accepted." She stared into Killua's eyes intensely, competition burning in her irises. There was no way she could lose anyway. After all, she was a seasoned player and this was his first time playing. She smirked, sure that victory was in her hands. "Your move."

Killua took a moment to look over Kaeko's hands, grinning to himself. _This is gonna be easy._

"5!" He called out, chuckling as Kaeko opened up one of her hands.

Kaeko stared at her single open palm and sweatdropped. "Damn it. 15!" She kept the hand that was originally open still, smirking as Killua opened up both his palms.

"Tch." Killua narrowed his eyes and waited for Kaeko's second turn, smirking as she called out the wrong number. "My turn again." He called out, "20!"

"10!"

"0!"

"5!"

"15!"

"0!"

This exchange carried on for a while with Gon watching and studying Killua and Kaeko's hands intently. It was then that he realized something. This was just like Rock, Paper, Scissors – only much simpler. All he had to do was look at his opponent's knuckles in order to figure out whether they would close or open their hands! Gon pouted, upset that he didn't think of this before.

"20!" Killua called out confidently.

"AAAUGH!" Kaeko stood up and threw her hands dramatically up into the air in defeat.

Killua on the other hand, looked over at her and grinned childishly. He crossed his arms over his chest victoriously and watched as Kaeko moved over to the side of the room to begin her pushups.

Before hunkering down onto the ground, Kaeko looked one last time at Killua and stuck her tongue out at him disdainfully. She was not pleased. Not in the slightest.

"Oi Gon. Wanna give it another go?" Killua turned to face Gon and placed his hands back into the start position.

"Un! I think I get it now! You can go first Killua!"

"Mmm.. 20!"

"10!"

"5!"

"0!"

"10!"

"20!"

As Kaeko did her pushups, she couldn't help but look up every once in a while to see how the game was going. To her astonishment, Gon and Killua's hands were opening and closing so quickly that she found it difficult to keep up with them. Her eyes began to swirl and she felt herself getting dizzy just watching them.

She then concluded that continuing to watch the two boys would be detrimental to her health and turned her focus back to her pushups. As she reached 300, droplets of sweat formed around her forehead, but still she pressed on. 301, 302, 303, 304...  
>At 305 she felt her arms shake and buckle under her own weight.<p>

At 306 her arms gave way and she collapsed onto the ground. She huffed, breathless, and rolled onto her back, letting her chest rise and fall rapidly with her breath.

_That's weird... _She thought, _I can usually do 600 on a good day... What happened?_

Immediately following her collapse onto the ground, Kaeko heard Killua exclaim, "I won!" in proud victory followed by Gon groaning in defeat.

"Let's play one more time!" Gon begged, eager to try again.

Killua rolled his eyes and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "No way! You're just gonna keep asking until you win!"

Gon shook his head and persisted, "Am not! Just one more time! Please?"

Killua turned his back to Gon and stuck his chin in the air stubbornly. "Nope! I won and that's that!" He then directed his attention to the sweaty girl now collapsed on the floor and smirked. "Hah? Done already?"

Gon came to Kaeko's defense. "That was mean Killua! You made her do pushups against the air pressure!"

Killua scoffed at this, "We still could've done it."

"You..." Kaeko took another deep breath. "...be quiet." She huffed.

"What, you mad that I beat you at your own game?" Killua responded, the smirk never leaving his face. "How about this then? We play one of _my_ games. If either of you two can beat me, then I'll do 1000 pushups. Deal?"

After hearing about another challenge, Gon perked up and nodded excitedly. "Un! That sounds like fun!"

With that, Killua walked over to a drawer in the room and pulled out a Joystation. He lifted it up over his head and tilted it around, examining it to make sure it was still functional. It was a little dusty from years of neglect, but definitely still playable. He blew the collection of dust off the device and then moved over to the television to set the Joystation up.

Kaeko could only stare at the strange device in complete and utter confusion. Without looking away from it, she asked Gon, "What is that thing?"

"It's a Joystation!" He replied, moving himself so that he was positioned cross-legged in front of the television. "There's this thing called a controller that you hold and when you click the buttons and more the stick here," He reached for a controller in front of him and fiddled with the buttons to demonstrate. "It makes the picture on the screen in front of us move!"

Kaeko stared at the controller blankly, still trying to figure out how on earth one could make a picture move by clicking buttons on a rectangle-like object. Her thoughts were soon interrupted.

"Oi. You two ready?" Killua asked as he stood up and turned the power on. "I loaded a pretty simple fighting game so you two won't be too confused." He smirked at his statement and took a seat next to Gon. "Who wants to go first?"

Gon's arm instantly flew up into the air, "I wanna try!"

Killua grinned playfully as he handed the controller to Gon, "Prepare to lose."

With a few more clicks and sounds emitting from the television, the virtual battle had begun with the game announcing, "ROUND ONE. FIGHT!"

All conversation had stopped at that moment – what was left were the sounds of the game and intense clicking and clacking.

Kaeko stared on at the two boys, noting the quiet intensity that had built within them. They were so focused that they rarely blinked!She couldn't quite grasp it. How did this strange device manage to sap away all their focus?

"AAAAHHH!" Gon tilted his head up to the ceiling and screamed. "I was so close!"

Killua snickered, "Maybe next time." He turned his head over to Kaeko and handed the controller Gon was previously using to her, "Wanna try?"

"Sure." She smiled and took the controller out of his hands, rubbing her thumb over all the controls before looking back up at the screen.

_This is gonna be easy. _Killua thought as he chose his next character.

* * *

><p><em>How... did this happen?!<em> Killua stared at the television screen wide-eyed and mouth agape.

She beat him. Not once, not twice, but in all _three _rounds. Mind you, this was a game he had owned and played for _years _as a child. He definitely had a better grip on the controls than her.

So how the hell did she manage to wipe the floor with him?!

Kaeko looked over at Killua and grinned childishly, "I think you owe me 1000 pushups."

_This girl is abnormal. _Killua thought to himself as he walked over to the corner of the room in defeat. _Completely abnormal._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

HI EVERYONE!

Oh man this was an obscenely hard and long chapter to write. I hit several walls in the process of writing this. I know it's not the most action-packed chapter right now, but the next one will definitely be better. This chapter was mainly just to establish bonds between all the characters. You know, make em like each other and such. :P

NEXT UP: You guessed it! They'll be in Nephele! This chapter isn't gonna take me as long to write because I know exactly what I want to do. I won't guarantee anything, but I will TRY to get the chapter up by this weekend. By the latest, 2 weekends from now. Tee-hee. I also have more goodies in store for you all. But hush hush.

Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing. I will accept suggestions and ideas, so if you have any, PM me.

Take care you all!

Love,

- Moofeen


	8. Nephele Village: The Hidden Village

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::Nephele Village: The Hidden Village::.**

It was late-afternoon. The sun had begun to set, slowly taking back the light it had lent to the world. Birds huddled together on tree branches and the forest animals quickly scurried back to their burrows, readying themselves for sleep. The crickets began to chirp and the insects began to hum.

Gon, Killua, and Kaeko had made their way into the heart of the forest after disembarking from their airship. Killua made sure that his butler parked far enough away so that he would be unable to relay information back to his family.

...Not that it mattered much anymore.

Kaeko had lead them through maze after maze in the forest. After seeing how complicated the paths they had taken were, Killua was actually glad that she had decided to come along – There was no way he and Gon could've figured this out themselves.

"Through here." Kaeko instructed, pushing tree branches out of the way to reveal a small, hidden dirt path.

"Thanks again for showing us the way." Gon smiled as he stepped through the branches onto the path.

"Un..." Kaeko nodded, gazing around their surroundings cautiously.

Ever since they entered the forest, Gon noticed that Kaeko had become tense and hyper-vigilant; freezing at every foreign sound and every strange movement. The further they moved into the forest, the more tense she became.

"No kidding. Your village is pretty well hidden." Killua remarked, casually walking down the path.

The two boys then noticed that Kaeko was no longer beside them and stopped walking. As they turned to look behind them, they saw that Kaeko was still by the branches she parted for them.

"Oi, idiot." Killua called. "What's wrong?"

Gon walked back to where Kaeko was, concerned. "Are you okay Kaeko?"

"This is the farthest I'm taking you two." She responded, refusing to venture any further in. "It won't be far from here. Keep following that path until you see a small creek, then turn left and keep walking. You'll get there."

"Mm." Killua nodded, storing the directions into his mind. "How do we get back to you?"

"Here." Gon took his cellphone out of his pocket and handed it to Kaeko. "Take this so we can reach you later. That way, you don't have to stay in the same place for too long!"

Kaeko slowly reached out and took the phone from him. "...Thanks."

"Oi." Killua rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a raincoat, tossing it over to her. "Take that too. Don't do anything stupid and stay out of sight."

_They actually want to stay with me. _She thought, staring down at the phone and the coat in her hands.

They cared about her. They wanted to get back in contact with her after they were finished with their business. The simple act of lending a cell phone and a jacket to her made her feel like she was part of their group – not just an addition or a burden. Though the thought comforted her and made her happy, she still couldn't shake the nasty tension overtaking her body.

"I hope you find what you need." Kaeko said as she pulled the coat over herself. "I'll see you later."

With that she hopped up into the trees and ran off, leaving the two boys to themselves.

* * *

><p>At the entrance to Nephele village, Gon and Killua stared at the sight before them, both seemingly disturbed by the state of it all. They could tell this place had been through hell.<p>

The lush forest that they had navigated through to reach the village seemed to have disappeared upon arrival. All the plant life within the immediate surroundings of the village had been destroyed, leaving only dirt and scattered red flowers among the ruin. As the two boys walked silently through the village, they noticed that the ground seemed to be stained with remnants of dried blood. The huts and other buildings had been mostly demolished, with only a few being close to repair. They could tell most of the debris from the chaos had already been removed, but how long that process took and how much debris there was, they didn't know.

A few people were left walking amongst the destruction; villagers that had survived the aftermath who were rebuilding their homes.

After two long years, the village was still in disrepair. It was no wonder Ging Freeces himself came to help with the reparations.

As Gon and Killua continued to survey the area, they were soon approached by a tall, lean man wearing a long trench-coat twirling a cane in his hand. Even as he came from a distance, the boys could tell he was about seven feet in height, easily towering over them. The stranger had long brown hair tied into a ponytail that reached the middle of his back, which flew gently behind him as he walked. His free hand was placed on top of his head, where he kept his fedora from being carried off with the wind. Perhaps the most outstanding of his features however, were his piercing, bright green eyes. The boys believed there to be some wisdom behind those eyes. The stranger smiled at them as he closed the distance between them, still whirling his cane until he was right in front of them. Once his feet came to a complete stop he rammed the end of his cane swiftly into the dirt beneath him and leaned against it.

"Why hello there children!" The stranger greeted enthusiastically, briefly removing his fedora to bow his head before placing it back on. "What brings you here I wonder? Lost?"

"We're not kids." Killua growled, annoyed at the statement. "And we're not lost. We're looking for somebody."

"Un! Do you know if Ging Freeces is here?" Gon asked, looking up at the stranger hopefully.

"Ging huh?" The man seemed to ponder his for a moment, tapping his foot and twirling his cane as he did so. "Oh right!" He snapped his fingers and stopped spinning the cane as he looked back at the boys. "He left about two days ago! Said he had something else to do. Didn't say where he was going... As usual. Super secretive guy." He paused for a moment before blinking rapidly in confusion. "Wait a minute. How do you kids know Ging?"

Killua's shoulders dropped as he sighed, "Looks like we just missed him, Gon."

The fire in Gon's eyes seemed to reignite as he responded, "It's okay Killua! I'm not giving up!" He then turned back to the stranger and stuck his arm out for a handshake. "Thanks for letting us know! My name's Gon! Gon Freeces! Nice to meet you! And that's my best friend Killua!"

_What a weird introduction. _Killua thought as a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head.

The man extended his own hand and shook Gon's, smirking as he heard Gon's full name. "I'm Alvise. Nice to meet you both! So you're a Freeces too huh? Didn't know Ging had a son, but I guess you look enough like him." He paused and furrowed his eyebrows. "Actually you look exactly how I'd imagine him to look if he was... 20 years younger."

"Alvise, will you tell me what Ging was like?" Gon asked, beaming.

Alvise seemed confused by the request, but nonetheless indulged the young boy. "Uhh.. Sure thing. Hmmm..." He tapped his foot thinking about where to begin, then snapped his fingers. "He's really, really, and I mean REALLY, antisocial." He gave out a long, dramatic sigh before continuing, "I mean I've heard things about this guy, but this was the first time I've worked with him and sheesh... He really keeps to himself! He's also got some wild ideas about him and is a pretty generous guy. When he first arrived the first thing he did was donate 100 million zennie to the restoration project! I mean... I don't even know why he came all this way to help out to be honest... everything looked completely hopeless." He looked over at the buildings still in shambles, "Ging even said that he could turn it around and..."

As Gon and Alvise conversed about Ging's latest antics, Killua couldn't help but feel a bit of lingering suspicion growing. As soon as their conversation died down, Killua took this moment to interject.

"Hey old man." He called, "What are you here for?"

_Old man?! _It was as if a ton of bricks had hit him in the head. Alvise's facial features fell dramatically – almost excessively. It was as if he was drowning in complete despair... Just from being called old.

_I'm only 28! _He thought frantically, _Is my youth slipping away from me?_

Gon must have noticed the thick, depressing purple aura and dark clouds that surrounded him, as he chuckled lightly in an attempt to ease the situation. "A..Ano... I'm sure he wasn't serious Alvise..."

At this, Alvise perked up unusually quickly with tears in his eyes, "YES YOU'RE RIGHT. OF COURSE IT WAS A JOKE! AFTER ALL I'M STILL YOUTHFUL AND DASHING – "

"So are you gonna tell us or not, old man?" Killua interrupted.

Another ton of bricks hit Alvise's head.

At that moment, Killua realized that he had mistaken the wisdom in Alvise's eyes for pure idiocy.

Alvise coughed a few times into his hand to clear his throat as he finally composed himself. "Why am I here? I'm an archaeological hunter." He started. "My job is to document the histories of people and their culture as well as research it."

"But doesn't archaeology only involve the past?" Killua questioned, still suspicious of this man.

Alvise merely smiled at this and clapped merrily, earning an anime vein and a glare from Killua. "Why yes! A+! And since this culture is close to dying out, I took an interest in researching and documenting its fall."

"So then... you're not here to help with the repairs?" Gon asked, looking around at all the remaining debris and people struggling to fix their homes.

Gon and Killua both noticed it.

Ever since they entered the village, they knew the villagers wanted nothing to do with them. The sheer atmosphere they sensed since stepping within the village was so intense it felt as if knives had pierced their backs. All the villagers' eyes were filled with contempt. Their faces contorted in such a way that conveyed disgust, anger, judgement. Though they never said a word, the message they sent was loud and clear:

_Get out of here, filthy outsiders._

They took special care to avoid them, sweeping around and through broken buildings, redirecting their gazes once noticed... All the subtle, yet not-so-subtle attempts to make people feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. It was reminiscent of a group of children shunning a child who was different from them. Of course... they weren't the only ones receiving this cold treatment.

Alvise, by far, was getting the brunt of it.

In fact, it seemed that once they began talking to Alvise, the stares and metaphorical knives they felt piercing their backs had intensified.

"Ah! An A+ for you too!" Alvise chirped. It seemed he was more bothered by the "old" statement rather than the thick atmosphere they were surrounded in. "I'm strictly here for research! Besides..." He continued on, chipper as ever. "What's the point of repairing a village whose people will die out soon anyway?"

The villagers noticeably stiffened, but continued about their business as if they hadn't heard a thing.

Gon's eyes widened, surprised that something that cruel left his mouth. "Alvise! That wasn't very nice to say!"

"Nice?" Alvise seemed amused by the idea. "Do you two know what these people practice? How they live?" They shook their heads.

"Will you tell us?" Gon asked, peering up at him curiously.

Alvise paused for a moment, seemingly battling out some inner conflict within the confines of his mind. There was no reason for him to disclose this information to these kids.

Yet... This Gon kid... He didn't know what it was about him, but this kid made him _want_ to help out. Perhaps he had a natural charm that drew others to him. Finally giving in, Alvise moved over to a fallen tree trunk and sat down comfortably with his legs spread apart. He motioned for the boys to come closer. As they did, Alvise set his cane down beside him and removed his fedora, placing it by his cane.

"You see those flowers over there?" He motioned his head over to the scattered red flowers around the village. "They grow from blood."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

WOMPWOMP! I told you all it would be up by this weekend and I DID IT. I ACTUALLY DID IT. I was gonna post this chapter tomorrow, but decided, "Hey, why not!" And posted it today instead. I figured I should make my readers happy. :D

I really hope you all appreciate me posting it early. Ahahaha.

Anywho! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think of Alvise! Once again, don't forget to review or let me know how I'm doing through PMs or emails.

ESPECIALLY email or PM me if you want to know what the progress is on a new chapter.

Until next time! :]

Much love!

- Moofeen


	9. Nephele Village:The Village of Sacrifice

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::Nephele Village: The Village of Sacrifices::.**

"You see those flowers over there?" Alvise motioned his head over to the scattered red flowers around the village. "They use blood to grow."

"Blood?" Killua looked back at all the flowers behind them. Even though they were scattered, they seemed to grow in clusters which littered the ground with splotches of dark red. The fact that they grew with blood instead of water was a little strange, but not completely unheard of. After all, there were hunters that existed solely to find animals and plants that haven't been documented yet.

"So..." Killua turned back to Alvise after pondering, "There were bodies where the flowers are all bunched together."

"Correct! A+ Again!" Alvise grinned, earning another glare of annoyance from Killua.

As soon as Killua connected the pieces together, Gon looked over at what he now saw as a graveyard, horrified.

"There's more to them than just that," As Alvise continued, his smile finally fading. "Those people you see over there? They worshipped a God, Valyssus." He waved his hand in front of him to convey unimportance. "But his name doesn't really matter. My point is, these people would sacrifice a child every ten years for this God of theirs."

"A... a _child?_" Gon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger and disbelief, quickly glancing over at the villagers who continued to shuffle through without much care. He knew they couldn't help what they believed in, but sacrificing a child seemed naturally... wrong.

Alvise tilted his head and tapped his foot against the ground, "Well, once a child reached their 14th birthday, they were safe from the sacrificial ritual. The 'priests,'" He made quotes with his fingers in the air, believed that by sacrificing a pure being, their great God Valyssus would be forever grateful and bestow upon them ten years of health and sustenance. Apparently you become impure after 13." He joked. "But even so..." He looked at the two boys with calm, serious eyes, "The sacrificial child would be forced to drink a paralytic potion made from the herbs around this village. From what I researched, the potion would immobilize whoever drank it without numbing their senses or putting them to sleep."

"So when they were sacrificed they felt everything up until the point they died." Killua concluded, keeping an impressively calm demeanor. It wasn't all too surprising, considering he grew up surrounded by torture and conditioning. The idea of this painful sacrifice wasn't particularly distressing or out of the realm of possibility for him. After all... as far as these people were concerned, the sacrifice died for some sort of reason. He had killed many people before, including entire families and their children. Those people... _they_ died for nothing.

But he had turned over a new leaf, and he knew just how distressing and horrifying this news must have been for Gon.

"Correct! A-"

Killua shot Alvise a look that screamed, _"Don't you dare finish that sentence." _Successfully deterring Alvise from completing his ridiculous "A+" phrase.

"Sheesh. Alright, alright." Alvise placed his hands up in defense, then lowered them back down. "As I was saying... The potion immobilized whoever drank it, thus prepping them to be sacrificed." He pointed over at a location behind them, "You see that area over there? Past all those crumbled buildings?"

As the boys followed his gaze, they noticed a wrecked altar hidden behind the broken buildings. This altar happened to have more red flowers surrounding it than anywhere else in the village.

"The sacrifices would be strung up against a wooden plank. Then the 'priests,' as they liked to call themselves, would slash non-vital areas of the child's body to drain the blood out of them." Alvise tapped parts of his own body to give the boys an idea. "They kept them alive until the last possible second so their hearts continued to beat, producing as much blood as possible. All to produce..." Alvise got up from the fallen tree trunk and waltzed over to the closest red flower, plucking it violently from the ground, much to the dismay of the villagers. The villagers shot him looks nasty enough to kill, but Alvise didn't seem to notice as he strode back to Gon and Killua and reseated himself. "These. The lilianis." He handed the flower to Gon, letting him get a better look at it.

The flower itself was incredibly beautiful, with silky red petals and stringlike yellow pistils. It looked a lot like a lotus blossom without the large center.

Gon looked up at Alvise, unsure of what to make of it. "It's pretty but... I don't get it."

"You and I both!" Alvise joked, lightly patting Gon on the shoulder. "The lilianis itself has some pretty good healing capabilities, but these kooks thought it would produce longevity, keep the elderly looking young, prevent even the worst kinds of diseases – Which it doesn't! And a whole bunch of other things. This flower that you have in your hand right now, it's all they care about. Their world _revolves_ around this thing. They'd mash it up and use it as oils or lotions, dry it and crush it to mix with food... you get the point."

Now that Alvise mentioned it, when Gon and Killua walked through the village, it seemed that although everything else was in ruin, the only thing kept beautifully preserved and safe were the flowers. The villagers took extraordinary care to walk around the flowers, careful not to step or drop anything on them... and the instantaneous death glares they shot Alvise after he unceremoniously ripped one out from the ground was proof enough.

"Hey, old man. For an idiot, you seem to know a lot about this place." Killua remarked coyly.

"Well I _do _do this for a living." Alvise chimed proudly. This proud moment was unfortunately, incredibly short-lived. "Wait... what?! What do you mean idi- ahaha I said 'do do' like doo doo." At this discovery, Alvise snickered much like a seven year old child discovering a funny word for the first time.

Killua immediately regretted giving him credit for anything. This guy was a _complete _moron.

Once his laughter died down, Alvise turned back to Gon, "Not to disrespect your old man or anything, but tell me Gon." He started, now calmly staring into Gon's eyes. "Do you really believe these people should be saved? Because in my eyes, they've simply run out of time."

Killua turned his attention over to Gon, curious as to how he'd respond.

"I think what they did was wrong, but..." Gon's fists tightened, "...they're still people and can't help what they believe in. So... I think they do deserve to be saved. We just have to make sure they don't practice what they did before."

A simple answer from a simple kid.

Alvise sighed and shook his head, smiling, "You really are his son."

"Alvise, could you tell us what happened to this place?" Gon asked, looking at the ruins that surrounded them.

Alvise scratched his head and sighed, pulling out a small notebook from the inner pocket of his trenchcoat. He lifted it up to about face-level and opened it, flipping through a few pages before finally stopping.

"Two years ago, this village planned it's 116th sacrificial ritual. A 13 year old girl was chosen." He looked up at the two boys, "She'd be about your age now." He flipped through another page and continued. "This girl was given the paralytic potion and all procedures went through as planned. But according to interviews, things went wrong after the first few minutes. Villagers reported feeling an intense, suffocating air around them during the ritual. Afterwards, vines and 'monstrous plants' emerged throughout the village, killing most of the residents. There were reports that the 'monstrous plants' ate some people. After all the chaos was over, the sacrifice stood in the center of all the ruin and suddenly disappeared. No one really knows how she was able to move after drinking the potion, so it's a mystery as to how she escaped. There have been sightings of this girl, but her current whereabouts remain unknown." With that, Alvise snapped his notebook shut and tucked it back into his coat. "There's a bounty out for her now too." He paused for a moment before exclaiming, "OH! How silly of me! I should've asked you two if you've spotted her!" Alvise pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to them with a smile.

As the two boys unfolded the paper, they both stiffened.

It was the wanted poster Kaeko had shown them several days ago.

Killua flashed a quick look over to Gon, warning him to stay composed for fear of being discovered by Alvise. _Pretend we know nothing._ Killua thought, hoping Gon understood the message.

"Doesn't look familiar." Killua handed the poster back to Alvise, keeping a professionally calm demeanor on the surface.

"Ah well. Can't hurt to try." Alvise chuckled. "Still, it makes you wonder what kind of demonic little monster could have destroyed nearly an entire village. Must have been a vicious, heartless little thing, hu-"

"How could you say that?! Do you have any idea how she must feel?!" Gon snapped, clenching his fists angrily.

He couldn't stand how Alvise talked about Kaeko, like she was just some mindless killer. Even though he had only spent a few days with her, he knew she was more than that.

Killua's eyes widened upon hearing Gon's outburst. _Dammit! _He was sure they would be discovered. They'd have to get ready to escape. His legs tensed as he opened his mouth, ready to bolt, "Gon—"

His course of action was interrupted by Alvise's sudden burst of laughter. "Ahahaha! I'm so sorry! You're right! I never thought of it that way! How insensitive of me!" He sighed as his laugher died down. "Ah kids, they really challenge the way you think!"

_If you even think at all. _Killua's face fell as a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head. How did this guy get so far as a hunter?! No, how did this guy get so far in _life_?! He couldn't think of anyone he knew stupider than this buffoon.

Gon on the other hand, chuckled nervously after realizing his mistake and scratched the back of his head, glad that Alvise didn't seem to notice. "Ehehe..."

"Well children." Alvise reached for his fedora and placed it back on his head, "Now that I've told you everything you wanted to know, it's about time I got back to work." He reached down again to pick up his cane and stood up to his full height, stretching out his arms as he did so.

"Wait! Can I ask you one more thing?" Gon asked.

Alvise looked back down at him and grinned, "What is it?"

"Do you happen to know anything about a girl named Skye? She used to live here."

"Skye?" Alvise tapped his chin for a moment, raking his brain for any details, then shook his head. "Nope. Sorry kid."

"That's okay." Gon smiled and stuck his hand out again, this time for a goodbye handshake. "It was nice to meet you Alvise! Thanks for everything!"

"It was a pleasure meeting you too!" Alvise shook Gon's hand and turned over to Killua. "And you too fluffy-haired boy!"

Killua's eyebrow twitched at this name and merely grunted a "Hmph," in response. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about Alvise made him uncomfortable.

With that, the two boys and Alvise parted ways. Alvise headed deeper into the village while the boys headed out of it.

The moment Gon and Killua were out of sight, Alvise smirked sinisterly as he continued through the village.

_So it seems they do know her after all. _He thought, twirling his cane playfully around. _Oh Kaeko, you little devil you. You've made quite interesting new friends. I wonder how that happened._

Alvise had his suspicions that the two boys knew who Kaeko was the moment he told them about the rituals, but in order to be completely sure he set out some bait, which Gon instantly took.

_Berate a friend long enough and someone will snap. _Alvise mused, still twirling his cane. _And the fact that they asked about dear little Skye... I don't need anymore proof than that._

As Alvise strode suavely onto another hidden path within the village, he clumsily tripped over his own two feet, sending his face pummeling straight into the dirt.

_**THUMP!**_

Alvise slowly opened his eyes after the fall, groaning from the pain surging through his face. As his eyesight began to refocus, he noticed a young girl with bright teal hair wearing a beanie staring straight at him. The girl appeared to be poking a dead lizard with a stick as she continued to stare at him, never breaking eye-contact.

Alvise then stood up as quickly as he possibly could, dusting the dirt off his trenchcoat and regaining his composure. He coughed into his hand and fixed his fedora, pretending as if nothing ever happened.

"You saw nothing." He said as he walked off, leaving the young girl to continue poking the lizard to her heart's content.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

WHY HELLO THERE BEAUTIFUL SOULS! Thank you so much for reviewing as always and I'm sorry I'm a butt and suck at updates. ):

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy your time with family and friends! Hopefully I can have another chapter out by New Years!

TAKE CARE YOU LOVELIES! Thank you for reading and as always, let me know if you have any suggestions or critiques (telling me things suck won't help me get any better D:)!


	10. Tension and Laughter

**Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2**

**.::Tension and Laughter::.**

The night breeze began to roll through the forest, cooling the air the sun had warmed from the day. Stars littered the night sky with their light, slowly twinkling on, one by one.

Kaeko took a deep breath of the fresh night air and sighed, leaning back against the tree she had stationed herself in. The branch she had settled upon shifted lightly beneath her weight, sending a few stray leaves off to the ground below. She had perched herself high up on a tree in the forest, close enough to the boys, but far enough from the village.

Even though this place was responsible for all her pain, anguish, and guilt, it was still home. She could still remember all the good things that happened here.

Kaeko closed her eyes and took another deep breath in, welcoming the coolness the night brought. It put her body at ease and soothed her when she knew she was safe from pursuers.

_**BRRIIIING! BRRRRRRIIINGGGG! BRRRRING!**_

Kaeko felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on point as she leapt in fright from the unsuspecting sound, nearly falling out of the tree. After stabilizing herself, she frantically searched for the ringing nightmare in the pockets of the raincoat Killua lent her, pulling it out a little too quickly.

_**BRRRIIIIINNNNNG! BRRRRIIIIIING!**_

The ringing prevented Kaeko from deescalating from the initial shock, causing her to lose her grip on the phone and send it flying out of her hands.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kaeko lunged forward, reaching forward to grab the device before it fell out of her sights.

After securely grasping the still ringing phone in her hand, she felt a very peculiar weightlessness about her.

...Then she looked down.

Half her body was hanging off the tree.

To prevent herself from completely falling out, she quickly wrapped her legs around the tree branch as she fell over, keeping her body suspended in the air much like a bat.

_**BRRRRIIIIIING! BRRIIIIIING!**_

In retrospect, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have leapt after the phone.

After catching her breath and calming herself from the fall, she flipped the cell phone open and placed it against her ear, still upside down. "H..Hello?"

"Oi." Came a voice from the other line. She could tell instantly it was Killua. "We're all finished here. Where are you?"

Kaeko pursed her lips together and tightened the muscles around her stomach, slowly swinging herself back and forth, hoping to eventually make it back onto the tree. The energy she was exerting from swinging herself made it difficult for her to talk, to say the least.

"Meet... nnnggh... outside... mmpphh.. forest?" She grunted, swinging again – this time high enough for her to curl herself back up. She grabbed onto the branch with her free arm and hoisted herself back up, panting as she did so.

On the other end of the line, Killua felt a faint blush rise to his cheeks upon hearing all the strange grunts and groans coming from Kaeko. It was hard for his mind not to wander, especially after his experiences watching... things clearly meant for people ages 18 and older. "Erm... Sure."

With that he abruptly snapped the phone shut and jammed it into his pocket, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. "Character print panties said she'll meet us outside the forest."

Gon nodded, paying no mind to the fact that Killua referred to Kaeko by her panties. It couldn't be helped, that was just the way Killua was sometimes. "Un. We should hurry. I don't want to leave her alone for too long."

After discovering that Kaeko was the chosen sacrifice in Nephele, a sudden wave of determination had washed over Gon. She almost died that day and has been on the run ever since. As long as Kaeko was with him and Killua, he would make sure she never feared for her life again.

* * *

><p>On the outskirts of the forest, Gon and Killua glanced around their surroundings, looking for their black haired, purple-eyed friend. When they couldn't spot her immediately, Gon lifted his nose into the air and sniffed, catching a whiff of her scent. The scent directed him to look above them into the trees, where they saw Kaeko perched on top of a tree branch, smiling down at them.<p>

Upon discovery, she leapt out of the tree and landed in front of the two boys, her feet barely making a sound as they hit the ground. She had pulled the hood of Killua's raincoat over her head, covering most of her features. The cover of the night helped her as well, as it created shadows over her face. It would be near impossible for any passerbys to identify her from a glance.

She slipped her hand into the pocket of the raincoat and pulled out Gon's phone, handing it back over to him. "Find what you needed?"

Gon shook his head as he tucked his phone back into his pockets, "We didn't find anything about Skye either."

"So we're back to square one." Killua sighed, leaning his head back. "What a pain."

Kaeko's lips curled into a slight frown, somewhat disappointed from the news.

"Oi, Gon." Killua slid his hands into his pockets and tilted his head towards a direction away from their current location. "We should get going. Someone might recognize her if we're here too long."

"Ah! You're right!" Gon exclaimed, hurriedly walking away while tugging Kaeko's arm along. "We can stop by another city away from here to make sure she's safe!"

It was like mentioning Kaeko's name out in the open was taboo.

"So what were you doing earlier?" Killua asked as they walked along the streets of the city.

Kaeko looked over at him with an eyebrow raised, "What do you mean?"

"I heard weird noises coming from you."

At this, Kaeko flushed a light red and immediately avoided eye contact with Killua, "Oh... um.." she twiddled her fingers together in embarrassment. "Well... The cell phone startled me when it rang so I... umm.." She looked down at the ground as she continued to twiddle her fingers. "I fell off the tree I was sitting on and tried to climb back up."

Killua stared at her in silence for a moment before chuckling and placing a hand over his face, "Only an idiot like you could've done something like that, huh?"

Kaeko shot Killua a glare, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." He smirked over at her and pulled a chocolate box out of his pocket, proceeding to open it and pop a few chocolate robots in his mouth.

Kaeko's jaw dropped at the sight, "You _still _have some left?! I thought you finished all of them on the airship!"

"Nope." Killua responded nonchalantly, popping more chocolate into his mouth. "I wanted to save some for the walk."

At this point, Kaeko was pretty much convinced that Killua's diet consisted of about 80 percent chocolate, with the other 20 percent being everything else required for normal human functioning.

...Though whether Killua could survive merely on chocolate was still debatable. It was a mystery to her where all that sugar went. His blood could have turned to liquid sugar for all she knew.

_Or he could be made entirely of sugar. _Kaeko thought, laughing quietly to herself.

* * *

><p>After what seemed like hours of walking, the three teens eventually came upon another city, far away from the previous one. The city welcomed their arrival with dazzling lights that illuminated the streets, bringing a bright glow to the roads and buildings.<p>

"Let's get something to eat!" Gon smiled, patting his belly. "You're probably hungry too right Kaeko?"

Kaeko nodded hesitantly, feeling a little guilty that Gon and Killua had been supporting her this whole time. Though she deeply appreciated their kindness, she was starting to feel like a bit of a mooch. Needless to say, she was starting to become a little desperate to find something she could help the two boys with.

"And while we're here, we should get you some new clothes too!" Gon chirped, "You're probably getting tired of wearing the same outfits everyday!"

At this comment, Kaeko felt her face flush a bright, tomato red. True, she had been cycling through the same three outfits day by day for a while now. It was an understatement to say that those clothes had been worn out. "I-it's okay Gon. You've been taking care of me all this time and I really can't ask-"

"But you didn't ask, I offered!" Gon flashed Kaeko a cheeky grin and began walking off towards a cafe, excited at the prospect of food.

"Is this really okay?" Kaeko asked quietly, looking shyly over at Killua.

"That's just how he is. Let him do it." Killua responded, not even bothering to look at her.

With that, he started off after Gon, following his lead into the cafe with Kaeko right behind him.

After receiving their food and sitting down outside on a patio, the three teens began to happily munch away at their meals. Gon and Kaeko had begun to exchange stories with one another, laughing about the fun and strange things they've encountered. Kaeko was in the middle of telling Gon a story of the time she encountered a stray cat in the forest that had followed her for two days before she had to run off to avoid a pursuer.

Killua on the other hand, remained relatively quiet, slowly piecing together information they discovered from their day at Nephele. He glanced over at Kaeko, realizing that the story she told them about Nephele didn't mesh with Alvise's. Though it was apparent that Kaeko expressed a tremendous amount of guilt from the incident, what Alvise told them didn't seem to add up... and Killua's old habits were hard to break. For most of his life, his family had conditioned him to be cautious, to always think and assess. In this case, Alvise mentioned that after the incident, Kaeko was seen standing in the center of the village while chaos ensued. That alone sounded a lot like intention to him. Even though he enjoyed his time with her and was slowly beginning to grow more fond of her, what he felt from the day he met her hadn't changed: _How could slaughtering nearly an entire village be an accident?_

"Killua, what's wrong?" Gon asked, peering over in concern.

"Oi." Killua started, looking Kaeko directly in the face with cold eyes. "Tell us what happened there. Back in Nephele."

He had to know, and the only way to fix the discrepancies between the two stories were to confront the source. If Gon was serious about letting her stay with them, he'd have to trust her, and the only way to move forward without mistrust was to clear his suspicions.

Kaeko's smile faded as she set her fork down on her plate. She sighed and stared up at the night sky, feeling the wind gently brush across her face.

"How much did you already hear while you were there?" She asked, still staring up at the sky.

Killua crossed his arms and leaned back against his chair. "Enough. Just tell us your side of the story. That's all that matters."

Kaeko took another breath in, filling her lungs with the fresh night air that surrounded them. She slowly exhaled and looked back at the two boys, "You probably found out that I was the chosen, right?" She turned away from their gaze, staring down at the plate of food in front of her. "They were preparing me for the ritual, forcing me to drink this... potion. I couldn't move after that. It paralyzed me I guess..." She paused a moment before continuing, "...But I could still see everything and I could still feel everything." Kaeko felt her body trembling from the memories, though she tried to shrug it off. "They strung me up... made their speech about how my death was supposed to bring happiness and prosperity to our village..." A weak chuckle escaped her lips as she attempted to depersonalize herself from the incident that occurred. "Then they cut me. My arms, my legs... and after that... I don't remember anything." She looked back up at them, bringing her hands up to her face. "I just remember waking up. Like I had been asleep... and then seeing..."

Kaeko's body seemed to freeze as the memories flooded back into her mind. She could see all the bodies, all the chaos, the burning buildings, the blood soaked earth she stood on. She could see everything, as if it was all right in front of her again.

"...Death." She uttered, lowering her hands back down to her lap.

"Hah?" Killua looked at her skeptically, "You don't remember _anything_?"

"No. I don't." She responded somewhat irritably. It wasn't as if she intentionally or conveniently forgot! She told him everything he wanted to know, and here he was _antagonizing_ her. "Believe me, I would give anything to find out what happened back then."

"So you're saying there's a chance you could attack me or Gon without warning?" Killua asked a bit more intensely, especially after knowing that there was a chance Gon could be in danger.

Gon opened his mouth to protest, "Killua, Kaeko's been through a lot... We can take care of this when she's ready."

Kaeko stood up in a rage, slamming her hands on the table and glaring daggers at the white-haired boy. The plates and silverware on the table rattled violently as she shouted, "I would never! Do you think this is fun for me? Do you think I enjoy having a giant hole in my memories, not knowing what happened? Why do you think I'm trying so hard to find Skye?!"

Killua stared on, unfazed by her outburst. "Do you wanna stay with us?"

Now Kaeko was angry _and _confused. After all that intrusive, rude, antagonizing questioning and him being a class A asshole, he asks her if she wants to stay with them? Talk about catching her off guard.

Kaeko blinked a few times before letting a slow, "...What...?" escape her mouth.

"I thought the question was pretty clear."

_This asshole. _She thought as she furrowed her eyebrows, maintaining eye-contact with him as she cautiously answered, "Yes...? But I don't see how thi-"

"Then train. Learn how to control your nen better and be able to take care of yourself." Killua responded, uncrossing his arms to grab a fork. "Take the hunter exam."

A moment of silence passed by as Killua began to stuff food in his mouth.

"...Hah?" Kaeko stared at Killua in total, absolute confusion. She had no idea what was going on in this boy's mind. None at all. The very question nearly dissipated all her anger.

After receiving all the answers he wanted and observing her behavior as he questioned her, Killua decided that Kaeko was telling the truth and therefore, was not a threat to either him or Gon. It was impossible to lie to a liar, after all. Even if she _did_ end up losing control of herself, Killua was confident he and Gon would be able to take her on. Maybe he was a little arrogant, but after the experience with the Chimera Ants, nothing seemed too difficult to him anymore.

It was undeniable however, that Kaeko needed a lot of training to be even around the same level as he and Gon, and the fastest way for her to do that would be to take the hunter exam. Though there was no doubt in his mind that Kaeko was fully capable of defending herself, he knew for a fact that if she ever encountered an enemy of the same caliber as the chimera ant squadron leaders he and Gon faced, she wouldn't stand a chance.

"That's a great idea!" Gon chirped, feeling the tension lift and float away from the group. "That way Kaeko can travel with us easier!" He turned to Kaeko and grinned, "Does that sound like something you'd want to do?"

With that, Kaeko eased herself back into her chair, giving herself time for all this to process. "So... if I got one of these licenses... it'd be easier to travel?"

"Ah." Killua responded, putting another forkful of food into his mouth. "Much easier. You'll learn more about it once you pass the exam." He explained in between chews. "They hold this orientation thing afterwards."

"If that's the case, I'll do it." She decided, feeling the tension and anger she harbored before slowly ebb away.

Though she still didn't quite understand Killua, she realized at this moment that he was looking out for her in his own weird way, even if it was purely for Gon's sake. Knowing that made it easier to let go of her anger.

...But that didn't change the fact that he was still an asshole.

* * *

><p>As Kaeko walked out of the clothing store, her brand new lavender colored dress fluttered with a sudden gust of night wind. She quickly slid Killua's raincoat over herself and pulled the hood over her head, shielding off the wind.<p>

Kaeko happily turned to Gon and Killua who followed not too far behind her, grinning as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks again for this!"

"Ah, ah." Killua grumbled, waving his hand to convey that it wasn't a big deal. "Just remember you're paying us back later."

Just then, Killua caught a glimpse of green and white as Kaeko's dress floated back down to her knees.

"Of course! I don't wanna be a freeloader." Kaeko replied, sticking her tongue out playfully at Killua.

"You already are."

Gon protested before Kaeko could respond, "Killua!"

"What? It's true!"

The three teens began to walk along the streets of the city once again, bickering and laughing as they treaded along. At this point in time, they were fully intent on reaching the next city over before resting for the night. The more distance they covered, the better.

It wasn't long after leaving the city when they noticed something peculiar about their surroundings.

They were being followed.

Gon, Killua, and Kaeko exchanged glances with one another in silence, showing that they were all aware of the situation at hand.

"I think stripes should take care of them herself." Killua proposed as he continued to walk along calmly, careful not to let the stalkers know they've been noticed.

_Stripes?_ Kaeko quickly shook the thought out of her head, instead wanting to address Killua's idea that she take care of their stalkers by herself.

"What?!" Kaeko whispered harshly to Killua. "We could all save our energy if we just ran for it. They're not worth the fight." She paused a moment before adding, "They're not even doing a good job concealing their presence."

"Why can't we help her Killua?" Gon asked, peering over at him curiously.

"Stripes can't keep running away if she wants to pass the hunter exam. She has to learn how to deal with guys like that." He responded, casually yet subtly pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "No matter how annoying they are."

"Ah, you're right." Gon turned over to Kaeko and smiled, "Just be careful not to hurt them too much, okay?"

Kaeko gave Gon a curt nod, reassuring him that she wouldn't go overboard. Although everything that Killua said made perfect sense, she couldn't help but wonder why he kept calling her "stripes." Then it hit her. He was referring to her by her panties. Again.

Upon that realization, Kaeko flushed a light pink and whipped her head over to Killua, shooting him a dark, nasty glare.

"It sounds like there's three of them." Gon whispered, ears perking as he listened intently.

"Probably just robbers." Killua sighed, deducing that they were likely followed after they left the clothing store.

After taking a few more steps, Killua abruptly turned to Kaeko and shouted, "SUIT YOURSELF UNGRATEFUL HAG! You don't need us anymore right?! So go travel by yourself!" Stomping off immediately with Gon following behind him, leaving a very confused and startled Kaeko staring blankly after them.

_What did I.. – Oh. _It was all part of their trick, Kaeko concluded, "angrily" clenching her fists as her arms hung down by her sides. "FINE!" She screamed at their backs. "I WAS DOING JUST FINE BY MYSELF ANYWAY!"

The robbers hid several feet away from where the fake scene unfolded, silently basking in their good fortune. What luck! The two boys conveniently left the girl all by herself, this was going to be easy.

Once Gon and Killua were far enough away, the robbers made their move, slowly creeping out from their hiding place towards Kaeko. She didn't even need to turn around to gauge how far away they were from her current position.

_This is gonna be a pain..._ She thought, sighing quietly. She could already hear their voices mocking her, assuming that she was weak and helpless merely because she happened to be female.

"Hey little girl, did your friends just leave you?" One male robber cooed, slowly advancing to her. "That's a damn shame..."

_And there it is. _Kaeko rolled her eyes upon hearing this phrase and turned to face the robbers. "I'm not looking for any trouble..."

"Neither are we." Another man spoke, moving several feet behind Kaeko in an attempt to keep her from running. Needless to say, she found this attempt rather pointless as she could have still outrun them without any difficulty. "Just hand us whatever ya got and you won't get any. You won't get into any trouble, and we won't get into any trouble. It works out for us all." He smirked.

The third robber crept over to the last unguarded area, fully surrounding Kaeko in a triangle formation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade, flipping it open and holding it by his side. "Sounds easy doesn't it? Now come on, give us what you got."

If Kaeko was given the opportunity to face-palm at this moment, she most certainly would have. Encounters such as these had become daily nuisances rather than fear-provoking experiences for the young girl, and it was at this point that Kaeko stood her ground and studied the three robbers very carefully, waiting for them to make their move.

"I don't think I will." The words glided out of her mouth smoothly as she bent her knees for leverage, readying herself for an attack.

Everything that came after happened in a flash. The robber who held the switchblade came sprinting forward, pulling his arm back and lunging it forward in a stabbing motion. Kaeko quickly stepped to the side and grabbed the man's outstretched arm, using his own momentum to propel him forward and launch him into his approaching friend, knocking them both over. The remaining robber was still in the middle of running towards Kaeko when he felt a sudden, painful strike starting from his forehead going down to the tip of his nose. When he felt himself recoil backwards and fall, he caught sight of the young girl still in midair. It was only then that he realized he had been kicked in the face.

The three robbers' predicament had changed – they were now the ones on the ground in fear. _How could this be? _They all wondered, _She was just a little girl!_

And yet this little girl had managed to take down all three fully grown men without so much as breaking a sweat. That was more than enough for these robbers to realize that they had made a terrible mistake in targeting her.

"This kid isn't normal!" One of the robbers shouted as he scrambled onto his feet.

The remaining two followed suit, muttering a quick, "Let's get outta here!" as they turned their backs and started to run.

It was then that Gon and Killua emerged from their hiding spots, revealing that they had doubled back to the area after pretending to leave Kaeko on her own.

"Wait misters!" Gon shouted after the running figures, "I wanted to thank you for helping our friend. Wait!" When none of the robbers slowed down, Gon pouted and muttered a soft "uwoo," expressing his disappointment.

Kaeko stared over at Gon with raised eyebrows, bewildered that this boy still sought to _thank _the same people who had the intention of _robbing_ them.

"Aho (dummy)." Killua walked over and stood next to Gon, lightly flicking him on the forehead. "Did you really think they would stick around after getting beaten up like that?"

Gon looked down at the ground and sheepishly poked his two pointer fingers together. "I thought maybe if they-"

"Aho." Killua flicked Gon's forehead a second time, not even bothering to let Gon finish his sentence.

"Oww.." Gon rubbed his forehead with a pout, but quickly shook it off, letting a smile return to his face. "You did a good job Kaeko. That was fast!"

Killua however, was much less impressed with what he saw and had very different feedback for her performance. "Gon's just being nice." He sighed as he turned his attention over to Kaeko, who returned his gaze upon being nonverbally addressed. "You know for someone who talks about conservation all the time, you sure do waste a lot of energy."

"...hah?" Kaeko stared at Killua quizzically, not quite following what he said. She just took down three fully grown men in less than two minutes and he was criticizing her for... wasting energy?

"That and your stances are terrible. I'm surprised you weren't knocked over at least once."

Boom. Another wallop to her ego.

"I took care of them didn't I?" Kaeko responded, mildly narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "I thought that was the whole point of this...?"

"With unnecessary movements and terrible stances." Killua repeated, placing a hand on his forehead and groaning, "Jeez stripes... how did you even get this far?"

Upon hearing all of Killua's brash criticisms, Kaeko's eye began to twitch and a large vein popped on the side of her head.

Sensing an argument on the verge of breaking out, Gon quickly intervened by sliding himself between Kaeko and Killua, with his face towards Killua and back facing Kaeko.

"Ne Killua, since you know what Kaeko needs to work on, maybe we could help her get better in time for the hunter exam!" Gon suggested with a cheeky grin, attempting to ease the growing tension between the two. "The exam doesn't start until January... and it's only September now, so we'll have lots of time to help her. You were even the one who suggested she take the exam!"

Kaeko felt the rising anger slowly subside as she watched the interaction between the two boys, feeling her cheeks flush a light pink from embarrassment. She couldn't have been _that_ bad could she? Then again most of the things she learned were primarily self-taught, so maybe she _did_ need to put aside her pride and accept a little formal guidance...

But Kaeko was conflicted. Part of her felt as if she didn't deserve the be the recipient of all their kindness, yet another part of her wanted to take advantage of what they were offering in order to make her travels and search for Skye easier.

Kaeko let out a sharp sigh and lightly shook her head from side to side in an attempt to shake off her piling thoughts.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for your dad?" Killua grumbled, "I think you're losing track of your priorities here."

"We can keep looking after we help Kaeko!" Gon proposed simply, letting a warm smile rise to his cheeks. "Besides, we don't have anymore leads."

Killua sighed and cocked his head to the side with his eyes closed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he continued to walk down the road. "So? Do you want the help or not, stripes? It won't be easy."

"I don't expect it to be." Kaeko responded, swallowing her pride and following him down the road. "But bring it on."

"You sure you can handle it?" Killua asked, smirking coyly at her.

Kaeko returned the same coy smirk, "I'm sure."

Gon followed closely behind them, thrilled with the opportunity to help Kaeko improve her skills. He wanted to see more of what she could do, more of what she was capable of when she wasn't fighting for her life, and perhaps most importantly, he wanted to know what she was like when she was having fun.

Overcome with excitement, Gon spontaneously took off running, leaving the two behind him as he shouted over his shoulder. "Killua, Kaeko! Let's see who can get to the next city first!"

"WAH! You got a head start!" Killua shouted in protest, immediately taking off after hearing the challenge.

Kaeko couldn't help but laugh at the sudden proposal of a race and took off sprinting after the two boys without question, feeling a warm smile grace her lips.

The serious and stagnant energy from moments before was instantly washed away and replaced with simple, childish fun as the three teens raced off into the night with their laughter echoing through the skies.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello lovelies!

This was a longer chapter than usual, as requested by some of you, so I hope you enjoyed it! I know this particular chapter isn't as great or action-packed as the others, but that will all come soon enough. I'm glad there are still many of you out there reading my story and sticking with me despite my incredibly slow, once-a-year updates ( I'm sorry! _ ). I want you all to know that I am still writing more chapters, but it's hard to stay on track with everything and stay motivated sometimes. Thank you again for all of your support, and as always, please don't hesitate to PM me or anything if you have questions.

With much love and cookies,

- Moofeen


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